In tragedy, the journey of teacher turned sailboat of the Mexican Navy who fell on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
By Sailing impact on Brooklyn Bridge Two people were killed and another 19 people were injured, two of whom seriously, while destroying the top of the boat’s sails, according to authorities.
Passers-by who rode the banks of Ist River were struck by the Cuauhtémoc boat- the name of the last Aztec emperor- sailing lightly with open sails to the bridge. However, his sails, reaching 45 meters in height, did not allow him to pass safely under the bridge, thus hitting the bridge.
“Earlier this night, the high -high Cuauhtémoc ship of the Mexican Navy lost its power and hit the Brooklyn Bridge,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a report.
He clarified that of the 277 occupants, 19 were injured, two of whom were in serious condition, while “two others were unfortunately succumbed to their injuries”.
The boat lost its power while the captain was maneuvering, resulting in the sailboat moving to the bridge on the Brooklyn side, said Wilson Arabols, head of special operations at New York Police, at a press conference.
Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc crashes into Brooklyn Bridge in New York, with its three masts hitting the structure mid-sail.
19 crew members hurt, four critical. Videos show some sailors hanging from the rigging during the impact.
The 297-ft ship was on a 254-day voyage to 22… pic.twitter.com/3VlkTOYCIR
– Spky Sonal (@ichkipichki) May 18, 2025
None of the occupants “did not fall into the water, which means that it was not necessary to carry out rescue operations,” Mexico’s Navy said earlier in a statement.
Appears that the Mexican Navy sailing vessel ARA Cuauhtémoc just demasted itself on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 18, 2025
The Brooklyn Bridge – a large tourist attraction of which was completed in 1883 – connects the Brooklyn and Manhattan areas in New York. Due to the accident, the authorities ruled the bridge for about 40 minutes, before giving it a release. There was no significant damage to the bridge, a Transport official in the New York City said.
In a post on X, the Mexican Claudia Seinbaum president expressed her sadness over the deaths of the two crew members.
The Mexican Foreign Ministry told social media that the country’s ambassador to the US as well as other officials assist naval trials and are in contact with local authorities.