New York: A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City, the top of its mast brushing the iconic span as it sailed on the East River.
The New York Fire Department confirmed that authorities were responding to injuries but had no details on the total or whether they were on the vessel or the bridge. The New York Times reported 277 people were on board the ship at the time of the accident, with three of the injured deemed critical and another 17 serious, citing a Fire Department official. Everyone on board the ship was believed to be accounted for, the official said.
Eyewitness video of the collision showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a giant green, white and red Mexican flag, scraping the underside of the bridge. The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in an accident with the Brooklyn Bridge that prevented it continuing its voyage.
It added that the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
“The Secretary of the Navy renews its commitment to the safety of personnel, transparency in its operations and excellent training for future officers of the Mexican Armada,” it said in Spanish.
Loading
Nick Corso, 23, was finishing dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant when they saw the ship heading towards them, The New York Times reported. When the top of the mast hit the underside of the bridge, “you could hear it snap”, he told the masthead.
The Cuauhtemoc sails at the end of classes at the Mexican naval military school to finish cadets’ training. This year, it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6 with 277 people onboard, the Navy said then.
