A Mexican Navy training ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening in a catastrophic collision that killed two crew members and injured at least 22 others, after the vessel veered off course and slammed its towering masts into the historic New York City landmark.
The Cuauhtémoc, a 300-foot-long three-masted barque used by the Mexican Navy for diplomatic and training missions, was sailing north in the East River when it collided with the bridge at approximately 8:20 p.m. ET, according to officials. The vessel's 147-foot illuminated masts were sheared off on impact.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Sunday that of the 277 individuals on board, four suffered serious injuries. Two later died. "We saw someone dangling," eyewitness Lily Katz told the Associated Press. "There was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them."
The ship had departed Pier 17 in Lower Manhattan and was supposed to head south out of New York Harbor toward its next stop in Iceland, officials said. Instead, it sailed in the opposite direction, striking the bridge's lower span - an error now under investigation.
Preliminary reports indicate that the ship lost power due to a mechanical issue shortly after departure. "The pilot of the ship had lost power," said NYPD Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles. A tugboat was observed nearby in video footage captured at the time of the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a "go-team" to assess the cause of the collision. In multiple videos circulated on social media, the Cuauhtémoc can be seen approaching the bridge in reverse, its masts colliding and snapping sequentially as bystanders scream and flee.
The Cuauhtémoc, launched in 1982 and named after the last Aztec emperor, is a diplomatic flagship of the Mexican Navy. It had arrived in New York on May 13 as part of a 254-day global tour visiting 22 ports in 15 countries. The Mexican Consulate had invited the public to visit the vessel prior to its scheduled departure.
"Our solidarity and support go out to their families," Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X.
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883 and sees over 100,000 vehicles and 32,000 pedestrians daily, sustained no major structural damage, according to New York City's Department of Transportation. Traffic was halted briefly for inspection but later resumed.
Footage from the crash shows sailors clinging to the rigging amid a chaotic scene. Onlookers described the moment of impact as "pandemonium." One witness, Nick Corso, said he heard a loud snapping "like a big twig" and saw "a handful of people dangling from a mast."
As midnight neared, tugboats escorted the damaged vessel north past the Manhattan Bridge to a secure dock. The ship remains moored as investigators examine whether navigational error, engine failure, or miscommunication played a role.
