Harrowing video exhibits Mexican sailors clinging to the rigging of the tall ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night time — after dozens of crew members have been seen standing on the masts of the vessel because it careened uncontrolled.
Two sailors have been killed and 17 have been injured after the ship, Mexican navy coaching vessel collided with iconic bridge simply earlier than 8:30 p.m. Saturday night time.
Video taken in the intervening time of the crash exhibits dozens of sailors lined up on the 147-foot masts because it set off on its journey for Iceland with 277 on board following a goodwill go to to New York Metropolis.
Footage filmed from the Brooklyn facet of the East River exhibits the Cuauhtémoc’s three masts hitting the bridge and snapping after an obvious mechanical failure, sending it drifting in reverse downstream.
Different eyewitness video exhibits sailors hanging from the rigging ropes on the broken masts.
“We noticed somebody dangling, and I couldn’t inform if it was simply blurry or my eyes, and we have been capable of zoom in on our cellphone and there was somebody dangling from the harness from the highest for at the least quarter-hour earlier than they have been capable of rescue them,” eyewitness Lily Katz advised The Related Press.
Emergency diving crews have been despatched in to verify the water as a precaution, however remarkably, nobody fell in, officers mentioned.
The sound when the masts hit the bridge sounded just like the loud snapping of a “huge twig,” mentioned Nick Corso, who had his cellphone out to seize the boat because it handed underneath the bridge.
These round him started working as “pandemonium” broke out on board the ship, and he noticed sailors dangling from a mast, he mentioned.
“I didn’t know what to suppose, I used to be like, is that this a film?” he added.
Probably the most critically injured sailors have been up on the mast of the ship on the time of the crash, officers mentioned.
The injured have been taken to Bellevue Hospital for therapy, Mayor Eric Adams mentioned.
“We’re praying for everybody on board and their households and are grateful to our first responders who shortly jumped into motion, guaranteeing this accident wasn’t a lot worse,” Adams advised a information convention on Saturday night time.
“Following our preliminary inspection, we are able to verify that the bridge sustained no harm and is now open to the general public,” he went on.
Video exhibits heavy visitors on the bridge on the time of the collision.
The ship, flying an infinite Mexican flag, had arrived in New York earlier this week and had been moored on the South Road Seaport Museum the place it was providing excursions to the general public.
As of Sunday morning, it has been taken to Pier 36 on the Decrease East Facet, the place it was guarded by NYPD officers and an NYPD harbor unit within the water.
A 50-yard security zone has been arrange across the ship, the US Coast Guard mentioned in a press release.
Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has spoken out following the accident.
“We’re deeply saddened by the lack of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Coaching Ship, who misplaced their lives within the unlucky accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and assist exit to their households,” Sheinbaum mentioned on X.
