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A Mexican Navy sailing ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, killing two people and injuring at least 19 others.
The ship, called the Cuauhtémoc, had 277 people on board. It lost power on Saturday while the captain was steering it. Without power, the ship drifted and hit the bridge on the Brooklyn side.
Videos show the ship’s tall masts hitting the bridge. Some crew members were standing on the masts when they broke and crashed down. Authorities said the broken masts fell onto the ship’s deck.
A local man, Nick Corso, said people started screaming. He saw sailors hanging from the masts.
The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, said two people had died. Two more were badly injured.
The bridge was checked and found safe. It reopened soon after the crash.
Police believe the crash was caused by a power failure and a mechanical problem.
The Coast Guard said the ship lost all three of its tall masts. No one fell into the water, and all crew members were found.
People ran away from the waterfront as the ship hit the bridge.
Another witness, Kelvin Flores, said he saw chaos and many emergency vehicles. He saw people carrying stretchers to help the injured.
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said she was very sad about the deaths of the two crew members.
After the crash, the ship was towed away.
The Cuauhtémoc is 297 feet (91 meters) long and 40 feet (12 meters) wide. It was first used in 1982. Every year, it sails at the end of naval school classes to train cadets.
This year, it left Acapulco, Mexico, on April 6. It was planning to sail to Iceland, stopping in places like Aberdeen, Scotland, for the Tall Ships race in July.
The ship’s masts were 158 feet (48.2 meters) tall. But the center of the Brooklyn Bridge has only 135 feet (41 meters) of clearance — not enough room for the ship to pass safely.
Source: News Agencies.
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