Two people are dead and nearly two dozen are injured following the Saturday, May 17 maritime incident in which a Mexican Navy training ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
“Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge,” New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams posted to X. “At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries.”
Following a preliminary inspection, city crews determined the Brooklyn Bridge was not damaged in the crash. The bridge reopened overnight, with residual delays expected, according to Notify NYC.
“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse.”
What happened aboard the Cuauhtémoc?
Authorities said the ship, used for sail training and goodwill tours to other nations, lost power just before crashing into the bridge at around 8:20 p.m., USA TODAY reported.
“Originally, we had a Brooklyn box out for folks in the water, for a boat in distress,” FDNY Chief of Training Michael Meyers posted to X. When FDNY marine units arrived, “We knew immediately that we had a serious incident with a boat striking the bridge, so we had reports of people in the water.”
According to Meyers, the injured were taken to Pier 16 in lower Manhattan to a casualty collection point and staging area.
“The police, fire and EMS did a tremendous job of working together to get everyone off of that ship safe,” Meyers said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul briefed on Mexican Navy ship crash
Governor Kathy Hochul was briefed on the situation in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“We have offered assistance to New York City’s emergency teams, and continue to closely monitor the situation,” Hochul posted to social media. “Grateful to our first responders for their quick action.”
Contributing: USA TODAY
(This story may update.)
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Brooklyn Bridge crash: What happened aboard the Cuauhtémoc?
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