Mexican naval ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge in New York, 200 people onboard, 23 injured
Shocking footage has emerged of a Mexican naval ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, an incident that has left 23 people injured.
The Mexican Navy’s tall ship ARM Cuauhtémoc, which was making a festive visit to New York’s waters, is a Spanish-built barque, constructed in 1982.
Around 9pm on Saturday (local time), the enormous ship which was carrying around 280 crew ploughed into the Brooklyn Bridge, with its masts snapping like twigs as collided with the steel and stone structure.
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A search and rescue operation was launched to rescue any fallen crew from the water, however, initial reports suggest no one fell in.
It is understood that some cadets, who had been standing on the mast and the ships sails for the special display, are now in a critical condition.
The crew, mostly made up of cadets, hit the bridge first, before the ship made contact with concrete retaining wall of the viewing point below the bridge, which ripped the ship’s starboard side.
The Mexican Navy issued a statement confirming the incident.
“During the departure manoeuvre of the Cuauhtémoc Sailboat in New York, an incident with the Brooklyn Bridge was recorded, causing damage to the Training Ship, preventing the continuation of the instructional cruise for the time being,” it said.
“The condition of the personnel and equipment is under review by naval and local authorities, who are providing support.
“The Secretariat of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of personnel, transparency in its operations, and the excellent training of future officers of the Mexican Navy.”
An eye witness described seeing people “hanging from the sails” as the ship crashed.
“The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails,” Elijah West told the New York Post.
“It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails. Police boats came around fast — about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the (Manhattan) bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock.”
The ship is currently being held in position near the Manhattan Bridge.
