The sad accident between a Mexican military training ship and the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend, which left two people dead and numerous others injured, was caused by a technical breakdown, according to New York police.
On Saturday, May 17, the Mexican Navy’s tall ship Cuauhtémoc, which was carrying 277 passengers, collided with the bridge while it was trying to pass beneath it. The bridge collapsed as a result of the ship’s masts clipping it. Two crew members unfortunately died in the tragedy, and 19 others were injured.
Wilson Aramboles, NYPD Chief of Department, stated in a briefing that the ship had left a Manhattan wharf but had veered off course. According to preliminary accounts, a mechanical problem that prevented the ship from steering away from the low-clearance structure caused it to lose power.
The ship was apparently trying to reverse at the time of the incident because its masts were too high to safely clear the bridge.
In his social media response to the incident, New York City Mayor Eric Adams wrote (via The Independent): The tall ship Cuauhtémoc of the Mexican Navy lost power earlier tonight and collided with the Brooklyn Bridge. Nineteen of the 277 people on board were hurt, two are still in critical condition, and two have tragically died.
We are thankful to our first responders whose prompt actions prevented a worse tragedy, and we are praying for all those on board and their families. After examination, we can attest that the bridge is undamaged and accessible to the general public.
Along with expressing her sympathies, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, as reported by Reuters: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc who lost their lives in this unfortunate accident.” Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.
The injured are being cared for by the Navy with assistance from local authorities. The personnel at the Consulate General in New York and our ambassador to the United States are providing their unwavering support.
Additionally, Sheinbaum expressed gratitude to Mayor Adams for his support and stressed that the Mexican Navy will keep the public informed as events progressed.
To ascertain precisely what went wrong, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States has opened an investigation into the incident.
Witness Walking close by when the ship struck, Flavia Moreira called the experience “surreal.”
She told CNN, “It just kept getting closer and closer, and eventually I thought, I don’t think that’s right.”
“People began to record.” When the boat struck the bridge, some of the personnel were on top of it, swinging about and clinging to it. We could see how hard they were trying to stay upright.
The two fatalities, according to law enforcement authorities, had fallen from one of the ship’s masts during the collision.
Because the Cuauhtémoc is a representation of Mexican maritime heritage and is frequently utilized for diplomatic missions and naval training, this catastrophe is all the more tragic for both the country and the global naval community.
