Officials provided an update after a Mexican Navy sailboat with 277 people on board crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others along the New York City waterfron.
The Cuauhtémoc vessel — a training ship used for the Mexican Navy — crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge just before 9 p.m. local time on May 17, prompting a search-and-rescue operation. The Mexican navy confirmed the incident in a statement on X, writing: “During the sailing maneuver of the Cuauhtémoc sailboat in New York, a mishap occurred with the Brooklyn Bridge, causing damage to the training ship, preventing the continuation of the training cruise for the time being. The status of personnel and equipment is being reviewed by naval and local authorities, who are providing support. The Navy reaffirms its commitment to personnel safety, transparency in its operations, and excellent training for future officers of the Mexican Navy.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference after the incident that the Cuauhtémoc crashed into the landmark due to a mechanical mishap, shortly after taking off from the nearby Pier 17. Adams confirmed that 277 people total were onboard at the time of the crash and that no one fell into the water. Adams shared in an update on X: “Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. 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.”
Chief Wilson Aramboles of the New York Police Department (NYPD)’s Special Operations Division stated that the ship was en route to Iceland, adding that “the pilot lost power of the ship.” New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez also said during the press conference that the head of the bridge division was in Brooklyn, and a preliminary assessment found no signs of major damage.
Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexican ambassador to the U.S., told reporters the ship has been sailing for about 20 years; Per the South Street Seaport’s museum’s website, the vessel was built in 1981 at the Celaya Shipyards in Bilbao, Spain. The Cuauhtémoc was taking part in a training cruise to mark the so-called “Bicentennial of the Consolidation of the Independence of the Seas” (or the 200th anniversary of the Mexican Navy expelling the last of the Spanish strongholds from Mexico), and had departed from the Mexican island of Cozumel off the Yucatan Peninsula on May 4 on its 170-day planned voyage set to take in 22 ports in 15 countries. The ship arrived in New York City on May 13.
According to a statement from Veracruz’s governor, one of the two fatalities was identified on Sunday as a 20-year-old Mexican Navy cadet from Veracruz, Mexico. Gov. Rocío Nahle García wrote on X: “I deeply regret the passing of Veracruz cadet América Yamilet Sánchez. My love, support and solidarity go out to her family. My gratitude to the Secretariat of the Navy and my wishes for a speedy recovery for those injured. Veracruz is with you.”
The other victim was reported by the Mexican outlet El Universal as Adal Jair Marcos of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca, who had been aboard the ship for the past nine months.
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