TWO people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship smashed into the famous Brooklyn Bridge.
The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark on Saturday evening as terrified, screaming onlookers fled.
A dramatic incident was recorded on video as the ship named the Cuauhtemoc was observed swiftly moving in reverse towards the bridge located near the Brooklyn side of the East River.
Suddenly its three masts struck the old bridge’s span and snapped one by one as the ship continued to move.
Spectators were seen cautiously moving away from the pedestrian path along the river as they watched the ship approach, and then suddenly screamed and fled to safety once it collided with the bridge.
More footage shows heavy traffic on the span at the time of the collision at 8:20pm, but no one on the bridge was reported injured.
The ship, displaying a large Mexican flag and carrying 277 individuals, subsequently floated towards a pier on the riverbank while onlookers continued to panic and flee in a state of desperation.
Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, unbelievably, no one fell into the water, officials said.
One witness, Elijah West, recalled seeing sailors falling from height off the boat sails.
He told New York Post: “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.
“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.”
Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz said they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge.
Katz recalled: “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.”
Just before the collision, Nick Corso, 23, took his phone out to capture the backdrop of the ship and the bridge against a stunning sunset.
Instead, he heard what sounded like the “loud snapping of a big twig” – followed by several more terrifying snaps.
He could then see people running and chaotic noises erupted aboard the ship, he said.
Corso later saw a handful of people dangling from a mast.
“I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the legendary 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage – but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment.
And two of the four people who suffered serious injuries later tragically died, Adams said on social media.
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation.
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.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X: “Our solidarity and support go out to their families.”
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 490-meter 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, with its walkway being a major tourist attraction.
Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said.
It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course.
New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge.
He said an initial report was that the pilot of the ship had lost power due to a mechanical problem, though officials cautioned that information was preliminary.
The Cuauhtemoc about 90.5 meters long and 12 meters wide, according to the Mexican navy sailed for the first time in 1982.
The vessels main mast has a height of 48.9 meters, according to the Mexican government.
As midnight approached, the broken boat was moved slowly up the East River, going under and past the Manhattan Bridge, aided by a series of tugboats, before docking at a pier.
Onlookers continued to gather on the waterfront to watch the spectacle.
Each year the Cuauhtemoc 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.
It arrived in New York City on May 13, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said.
The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
