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TWO PEOPLE HAVE died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said.
The sailing ship, which was about to leave New York for a goodwill tour to Iceland, struck the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, snapping its three masts, injuring crew members and leaving some dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help.
Adams said at least 19 people needed medical treatment after the crash, including four with serious injuries, but the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage.
The cause of the collision was under investigation.
Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2025
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. pic.twitter.com/mlaCX0X8Mh
In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the ship, called the Cuauhtemoc, could be seen travelling swiftly toward the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River.
Then, its three masts struck the bridge’s main span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving.
Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the collision.
The vessel, which was flying a giant green, white and red Mexican flag and had 277 people aboard, then drifted towards the piers lining the riverbank as onlookers scrambled away.
Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts, but remarkably, no one fell into the water, officials said.
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told The Associated Press they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge.
Looking closer, they saw someone dangling high on the ship.
“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” Ms Katz said.
Just before the collision, Nick Corso, 23, took his phone out to capture the backdrop of the ship and the bridge against a sunset, Instead, he heard what sounded like the loud snapping of a “big twig”. Several more snaps followed.
People in his vicinity began running back, and “pandemonium” on the boat erupted, he said. He later saw a handful of people dangling from the mast.
“I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he said.
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was an academy training vessel. It said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry said on X that its ambassador to the US and officials from the Mexican consulate in New York were in contact with local authorities to provide assistance.
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 1,600-foot main span supported by two masonry towers.
More than 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians cross every day, according to the city’s transportation department, and its walkway is a major tourist attraction.
Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after the span underwent an initial inspection, city officials said.
The Cuauhtemoc — about 297 feet long and 40 feet wide, according to the Mexican navy — sailed for the first time in 1982.
The vessel’s main mast has a height of 160 feet, according to the Mexican government.
After the collision, a tugboat held it in place in the East River between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.
Each year, the ship sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
This year, it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6, the navy said.
The Mexican consulate said on May 13 on X that the Cuauhtemoc, also called the “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas”, arrived that day and docked at Pier 17. It invited people to visit through May 17.
The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; Cozumel, Mexico; and New York.
It also had planned to go to Reykjavik, Iceland; Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk, France; and Aberdeen, Scotland, among others, for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
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A message to the journal staff: this platform is a shadow of itself. The comments should be disabled completely. Every single article now is the same bots/trolls saying the same boring drivel and nobody at journal hq seems to give a damn.
@Brian Dunne: long time viewer, new commenter. I just mute the trolls. It doesn’t take long, and if everyone did it, they would only have themselves to play with.
@Brian Dunne: but isn’t that just capitilulating to the likes of those brenny accounts …… simply saying ‘ the head of trolling ‘ won,,?
@Brian Dunne: so shut it down?? — simply hand the ” walkover” to the brenny accounts, the self proclaimed ‘ head of trolling’???
@Brian Dunne: See, this what happens when people confuse ‘news’ with entertainment, ‘information’ with gossip, and an online news publisher with social media.
@Keith Sherry: old Chinese saying ‘ no point sending woke vegan to the butchers’
@Brian Dunne: There was once upon a time the comment section was made up of largely clever people who could string together a sentence. But now as you said it’s a former shadow of itself nothing but insults duplicate fake accounts insults tropes right wing nonsense. It’s just not a nice place anymore. I do agree The Journal should deactivate the comment section in its entirety. If people want to comment and have fake accounts then use Facebook and shout into the void there. Yes I’m using the name Nemethon but because I don’t want my real name shown here but for years I went by my real name since Covid and the comment section went septic I changed it to it a pseudonym.
@Brian Dunne: Why would they shut them down unless they are actually illegal, rather than just annoying? From the Journal”s perspective, the trolls increase clicks and engagement, which drives up The Journal’s advertising revenue.
@Keith Sherry: They keep reappearing. I’d prefer more comment sections to be open but the do.pies not to have access. Empty vessels with empty lives. Imagine your only kicks in life to be in a comments section almost 24/7.
@Nemethon: because Israel are not being criticised? Because this particular comment section is not suiting your agenda…. no intelligence there, only bitterness. I see through you.
@Keith Sherry: correct Keith. I have the half wits muted (I suspect the troll accounts are probably the same person talking to themselves) It has changed the comment section actually. If I suspect a troll it’s instant mute.
As for The Journal mods you certainly think they could be more proactive in removing comments that are OBVIOUSLY serial trolls that post comments that have little or no value to the conversation.
@Brian Dunne: While your there, will you ask them why they didn’t allow comments on the waffle out of Gary Cannon?
Or maybe the daily Trans Rights articles or how about any article where they are pushing an agenda?
The Journal picks and chooses when your allowed comment on articles simple.
@Brian Dunne: it should be moderated properly. Leave the Comment section open tho.
@Keith Sherry: We do mute the trolls. The person behind all the troll accounts just makes new ones
@Buster Lawless: brilliant lol
@Veil: Your comment speaks more to your assumptions than to anything I’ve actually said. Criticism of a government’s actions — especially when those actions lead to mass suffering, displacement, and death — is not bitterness, it’s moral responsibility.
This is not about agendas; it’s about lives — human lives being lost and shattered. If you see that as a threat to your worldview, perhaps it’s your lens that needs adjusting.
I have no interest in arguing for the sake of ego. But I will always speak out against cruelty, wherever it comes from — that’s not weakness, it’s conscience.
@Brian Dunne: 100 percent. It’s a cesspit of snide remarks and hate and clearly not monitored adequately.
@Brian Dunne: maybe not shut down the comments or mute the trolls, but if everyone else deleted/ignored the journal for a day or a week or something like that in protest against these trolls maybe Journal management would take notice!
@Dave M: the trolls don’t increase clicks, they cause comments to be closed.
@Nemethon: where’s the comment about Jewish grandparents selling their gold to cast votes for Israel in the eurovision??? It was here earlier, to which I replied to you ‘not to hate successful people, you too can be successful if you open your mind’…..funny that… that comment has disappeared…. don’t hate on successful people, open the mind.
@Brian Dunne: oh they do care when it goes against the narrative
@Nemethon: excellent comment.
Can’t say anything against the government on the journal. Government have no morals and if you comment about it here they shoot you down!
No Juan saw this coming.
@reg morrisey: wait for trump comments. he will not be able to help himself
I see another blue hair NGO that wants the comments section closed here. They hate the truth coming out and the debunking of their narrative by ordinary people. We will not be silenced, Truth will set us free.
@087 bed: Jeez, all the comments congratulating Israel on the Eurovision completely gone…. Holy moly, pure bias in plain sight. Bang on 087, the TRUTH hurts, peole are intimidated and fearful, just like Hilter was.
@Veil: u mean all the troll’s comments….it’s one person with multiple accounts. One of those accounts is using the picture of a neighbour of mine that died during the year…either that or he is getting a bloody good signal from 6ft down!
@reg morrisey: GPS = Guess the Path, Señor. They had nachos on board, but only left chips on the bridge.
People have died and the resident trolls here spewing the usual garbage in order to get the attention they crave.
@Darius Guppy: Educate yourself first Darius on the history of the conflict and do a little bit of research on the vile terrorist individuals that are members or Israeli government and you will find that morally wise there is no difference between them and the terrorist organisation Hamas. First Darius raise your arms and remove the blinkers from your head that may help you see the facts.
@Leonard Barry: oh do tell me what parts you know and I seemingly do not. Come on, let’s see your minerals.
@Leonard Barry: oh dear, so anything but answer the question. So, please detail the factual bits of the conflict I do not know, but you do.
Have ships with big masts near vital transport infrastructure…sure what could go wrong!
@Dan The Man: that tall ship tours the world. Was on her when she was in Dublin some years ago. Something may have happened her engine controls while manoeuvering in port.
@Brendan Greene: Again, wasn’t there a similar incident not too long ago??
@Athena: yws, that was a large container vessel whose electronics went down briefly causing her to smash into a bridge and badly damage it.
@Brendan Greene: I just heard on radio they lost power for to mechanical issue.
@Brendan Greene: Yes I was on that vessel when it was moored on the Liffey some years ago. Friendly Bunch of Sailors.
@Brendan Greene: she was leaving port and being towed by a port authority tug. It had clearanc, clearance u nder the middle of the bridge but not at the sides and the tug was pulling it by the stern against a strong tide. RIP the people who died.
@Dan The Man: hundreds of ships go under that bridge without issue every week. There was a mechanical issue and she was under tow. Surely the NYPA tugs should have known where the highest part of the bridge was?
Sinko De Mayo.
@Benny Col: 5th of mayday,mayday.
Mexico must be punished severely. If the bridge has to be destroyed it’s such a shame as an American iconic landmark
@Basildon Joe: Goebbles says hello.
@p gert: who is that
@Basildon Joe: Morning Joe….. congratulations on your Crystal Palace wager & tip yesterday
@Basildon Joe: your Ma…
@Basildon Joe: are ya all right there fella, a wooden pole hit an iron bridge not a iron pole hit a wooden bridge, I think the iron bridge is fine all that will be needed is a little paint touch-up.
@Buster Lawless: ah my friend! Just great to see palace win and city lose
The captain is called Jose Cuervo. Coincidence?
@Mies Valkenburg: No, his name is Víctor Hugo Molina Pérez.
Build a wall at sea. Keep all Mexican ships out
The Captain must have been on marching powder.Sailing powder.
@Áine G: libellous comment.
Typical Mexicans asleep at the wheel.
@Rian O’Callaghan: hello journal? Nothing? This clown mocking dead people again. You’ll probably delete my comment first. Absolute cesspit this place now. Pathetic.
@Brian Dunne: I’ve reported it too, the trolling is truly obnoxious
have your say