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Two people have been killed when a Mexican navy training ship struck New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, the vessel, named Cuauhtemoc, was carrying 277 people when it crashed on Saturday into the bridge. Of the 20 people injured in the accident, 11 were in critical condition, the Mexican navy said in a statement.
Adams said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Here is what we know:
Where was Cuauhtemoc heading?
The vessel set sail from Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coast on April 4, according to a release from the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy. It arrived in New York City on Tuesday and was headed to Iceland as part of a global tour.
The mission was designed to “exalt the seafaring spirit, strengthen naval education, and deliver a message of peace and goodwill from the Mexican people to the seas and ports of the world”, the government said.
The voyage was scheduled to last 170 days at sea and include 84 days in port with planned stops at 22 ports in 15 countries. The crew had 277 members, 64 women and 213 men.
The ship’s itinerary included stops in Jamaica, Cuba, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
The journey also was meant to commemorate the 1825 expulsion of the last Spanish stronghold in Mexico by its navy, an event that marked the consolidation of Mexico’s independence and the emergence of a new national era on the sea.
Cuauhtemoc was built in Bilbao, Spain, in 1981. It was acquired by the Mexican navy to serve as a vessel dedicated exclusively to the training of captains, officers, cadets, noncommissioned officers and seamen.
The vessel is 91 metres (300ft) long, and its main mast stands 50 metres (160ft) tall, about 9 metres (30ft) higher than the distance between the water and the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge.
What caused the Mexican vessel to collide with the Brooklyn Bridge?
The ship was parked at Pier 17 in Manhattan, right below the Brooklyn Bridge
On Saturday night, it was scheduled to depart southwards through New York Harbor, making a brief stop along the Brooklyn waterfront to refuel before continuing its journey to Iceland.
However, about 8:20pm (16:20 GMT), the Cuauhtemoc appeared to be travelling in the wrong direction and was never meant to pass under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Authorities began responding about 8:26pm after receiving multiple 911 calls, the New York City Police Department said.
According to reports, the captain of the Cuauhtemoc told investigators that he lost control of the vessel after the rudder stopped working.
“They had some kind of mechanical problem. They lost power, so since they couldn’t use the rudder, they couldn’t manoeuvre,” an official told CNN, cautioning that all information about the accident at this point is preliminary and subject to change.
Adams previously said the ship lost power, and other city officials previously indicated that “mechanical issues” may have caused the collision.
The ship was also manoeuvring in turbulent waters. The tide had just turned, and a fast current was heading up the East River as a 16-kilometre-per-hour (10-mile-per-hour) wind set in, according to a report by The Associated Press news agency.
A female cadet and a male marine died from their injuries, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters on Sunday.
What do we know about the victims?
According to media reports, the two people killed have been identified as America Yamileth Sanchez, 20, of Xalapa in the eastern state of Veracruz and Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 22, from Oaxaca in southern Mexico.
In a statement shared on Facebook, the local city council of San Mateo del Mar, located in Oaxaca, expressed deep sorrow over Maldonado Marcos’s death and extended “heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones”.
Sanchez, who would have turned 21 in June, and Maldonado Marcos had been training on the ship for the past nine months.
Sanchez was in the masts when the ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
Identifican a los cadetes fallecidos tras el accidente del buque “Cuauhtémoc” de la @SEMAR_mx en Nueva York.
Uno es Adal Jair Marcos, originario de San Mateo del Mar, #Oaxaca.
Y América Yamileth Sánchez, del estado de #Veracruz. Ella emitió un mensaje horas antes del… pic.twitter.com/n0Mkv4a8eN
— Zona Roja Oaxaca (@ZonaRoja_Oaxaca) May 18, 2025
Translation: The deceased cadets from the accident involving the ship Cuauhtemoc in New York have been identified. One is Adal Jair Marcos, originally from San Mateo del Mar, #Oaxaca. And America Yamileth Sanchez, from the state of #Veracruz.
Family and friends gathered on Sunday at Sanchez’s home in Xalapa to pay tribute. Her death has left those close to her searching for answers.
“It’s impossible for something so serious to not be thoroughly investigated,” Gael de la Cruz, a relative of Ssnchez, told the Reuters news agency. “What happened there is illogical. There must be someone responsible.”
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