WATCH: Footage of boat crash shows sailors dangling in air
Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.
Late Saturday night, New Yorkers watched in horror as the ship snapped all three of its masts and collided with the New York City landmark.
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Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled and festive lights draped in its rigging, as it tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them crashing into the East River.
Hundreds of cheering spectators gathered minutes earlier to bid farewell to the ship, which had been docked at a pier in southern Manhattan since Tuesday.
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The Mexican Navy said in a statement that two crew members died in the crash, with a further 22 injured – half of them critically.
According to AFP, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she was "deeply saddened" by the two crew members' deaths.
New York police chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles said at a press conference that the ship lost power at around 8:20 pm (0020 GMT Sunday) while the captain was manoeuvring it, forcing it to head for the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side.
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Several sailors at the top of the ship were injured when it crashed into the bridge, Aramboles said.
More videos have circulated online of the tragic incident, one showing sailors dangling on the masts and sails of the ship:
Footage shows sailors dangling from ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. pic.twitter.com/TmMQBvhGua
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Since the fatal accident, US safety officials launched an investigation on Sunday.
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Jacaranda FM News reports that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on social media that it was "launching a go-team" to conduct an initial probe of the crash.
Nearby the ship, Aldo Ordonez told AFP that his sister, 24-year-old cadet Alejandra Ordonez, had been standing among the sails when the ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge.
His sister was temporarily left hanging from a sail, he said, but sustained only minor injuries and slept with others on the boat.
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Main image courtesy of AFP