According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the incident that a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge left two people dead and 19 others injured.
Onlookers enjoying the gloomy spring evening watched in horror as the ship collided with the landmark in New York City, where all three of its masts were snapped.
“At this time, 19 of the 277 on board suffered injuries, 2 of which are still in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams wrote on X.
The Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them flying into the East River, but footage from online footage shows it trying to pass, its sails strewn, and festive lights draped in its rigging.
Numerous enthralling spectators had assembled just before the ship’s departure on Tuesday, which had been docked at a pier in southern Manhattan.
Two crew members died in the collision, according to a statement from the Mexican Navy, and 22 more were injured, half of whom were in critical condition.
Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, stated on X that the deaths of the two crew members “deeply saddens me.”
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At around 8:20 p.m. (0020 GMT Sunday), the ship lost power as a result of the captain’s maneuvering, forcing it to veer toward the Brooklyn side’s bridge abutment, according to New York police special operations officer Wilson Aramboles at a press conference.
When the ship crashed into the bridge, several sailors on the ship’s top, according to Aramboles.
If these sailors are among the dead, it’s not known.
Nick Corso, a 23-year-old Brooklyn resident who was standing near the water, claimed there was “panic on the ship.”
He had planned to take a photo, but when he realized what was happening, he decided to record it.
He claimed that there were a lot of screaming and sailors hanging from the masts, which sounded like there was panic on board.
“Many people up top, but nobody I saw fell into the water.” People screamed and ran back. According to Corso, who runs VeeFriends’ marketing department.
He said, “The panic on the ship, and there was a guy at the back waving for people to leave the walkway we were on, was the one thing that stood out to me.”
Reopening Bridge
No one was rescued from the water, according to the Mexican Navy’s statement, and no rescue operation had been launched.
Flags flew off the ship’s stern as it was leaving New York at the time, and there were also some flaming Mexican flags in the rigging.
According to Arturo Acatitla, a 37-year-old New York resident, “suddenly we saw all the lights, how they collided, hit the bridge, and they (the sailors) all fell down” seconds after the ship left the dock.
The New York transportation department posted on X, “While inspections will continue, there are no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge.”
Before it resumed, the Brooklyn-to-New York Bridge was closed for about 40 minutes.
According to the Mexican ambassador, Esteban Moctezuma Barragan, at a press conference, victims were taken to hospitals, and nearby sirens could be audible.
The Cuauhtemoc, a barque built in 1982 and having a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), was sailing to Iceland at the time of its collision, according to Aramboles of the New York Police Department.
We celebrated its arrival at Pier 17 in Manhattan with mariachi, folk ballet, and an empathetic community,” according to the ambassador’s post.
The Mexican Navy confirmed in a statement on X that the Cuauhtemoc had suffered damage as a result of the “mishap.”
The Mexican Navy’s Ministry of the Navy reiterates its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations, and excellence in the training of its future officers, according to the statement.
An AFP journalist witnessed the ship being later moved to a location close to the Manhattan Bridge.
Residents of the area on X were advised by the New York Police Department to avoid it because of “heavy traffic” and “a large presence of emergency vehicles.”
In the last two years, a ship has collided into a bridge in Baltimore, killing six road workers, and the second time the ship has done so in less than a year.
Source: Channels TV
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