Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing
A 297-foot ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge last night, sadly killing two people and injuring a further 19.
The Mexican navy ship, named the Cuauhtémoc, had 277 people on board when it reportedly lost power on Saturday night, which left the ship's captain helpless as the boat crashed into the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side.
It was later confirmed by New York Mayor Eric Adams that two crew members tragically had died in the incident, while another 19 had suffered injuries, as the masts from the ship fell to the deck where crew members were standing.
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He also confirmed that the bridge was able to reopen following an inspection, with the damage there deemed to be minimal.
On X, he posted: "We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse.
"Following our preliminary inspection, we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage and is now open to the public."
Footage of the incident shows the boat speeding towards the bridge and losing its tall masts one-by-one, before continuing underneath. It was eventually towed away from the scene.
Police have since suggested that a combination of 'mechanical issues' and a power cut led to the collision, but one solace from the terrible crash is that everyone on board has been accounted for by the New York Coast Guard, with nobody falling into the water.
It has also been confirmed that the ship was a training vessel used by the Mexican navy, which 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 6 April, the navy said.
It was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 countries, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; Cozumel, Mexico; and New York. It was also scheduled to visit Iceland, France and Scotland, but after this tragic accident, it won't be able to finish its journey.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mourned the loss of the two crew members. “Our solidarity and support go out to their families,” she said on X.
Sadly, this joins a recent long list of incidents occurring particularly in the US, as we saw a US army helicopter crash into a plane and kill 67 people in January, while it was only last month when a tourist helicopter seemingly fell apart in mid air before falling into the Hudson river in New York, killing everyone on board.
James Moorhouse