In New York, a Mexican Navy training sailboat collided with the Brooklyn Bridge: more than 20 injured
During an international voyage called the “goodwill tour”, the military training sailboat of the Mexican Navy “Quautemoc” crashed into the structure of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. As a result of the collision, dozens of people on board were injured. They write about it Associated Press and BBC.
The incident occurred when the ship tried to pass under the bridge: its three masts caught the main span of the Brooklyn Bridge, as a result of which they were broken. As recorded by numerous eyewitness videos that quickly spread on social networks, the moment of collision was powerful — part of the crew was on the masts at the time of impact.
According to the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, after the collision, several sailors hung in the air on lifelines, awaiting rescue. A total of 22 crew members were injured. Medical teams promptly provided assistance to the injured.
Despite the seriousness of the event, the Brooklyn Bridge itself, built in 1883, was not significantly damaged. According to preliminary estimates, the structural integrity of the building remained unchanged.
The training ship “Quautemoc”, belonging to the Naval Forces of Mexico, was in the port of New York as part of an extended voyage. There were 277 people on board at the time of the accident, including cadets of the naval school. Every year, the ship goes on an educational round-the-world voyage, which is the final stage of training young sailors.
This year’s expedition started from the port of Acapulco on April 6, and the ship arrived in New York on May 13. The route plan foresees a total of 254 sailing days, of which 170 are to be spent in the open sea. In addition to the USA, the sailing ship was supposed to visit several French ports – Bordeaux, Saint Malo, Dunkirk, as well as Scottish Aberdeen and finish the trip in Iceland.
The circumstances of the collision with the bridge are currently being investigated. An investigation of the incident by the US Coast Guard is expected.
