(CTN News) – A Mexican Navy warship rammed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, destroying all three masts and killing two crew members. In a desperate attempt to reach safety, the sailors were forced to dangle from ropes at dangerous heights.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that while the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge was little damaged, 19 people on board still need medical treatment.

Early on Sunday morning, Adams announced on social media that two of the four people who had suffered serious injuries had passed away.

A team of investigators is currently working to determine what went wrong.

The Cuauhtemoc suddenly changed its course and was heading towards the bridge, according to multiple recordings from witnesses on the Brooklyn side of the East River.

The three masts of the ship were then fastened to the Brooklyn Bridge; but, as the ship proceeded, they were gradually lowered. As the clock struck 8:20 p.m., the Brooklyn Bridge was jam-packed. Fortunately, nobody on the bridge was hurt.

On the riverbank, a ship smashed into a pier while carrying 277 people under a huge Mexican flag. Authorities escorted onlookers out of the area. Authorities, despite their assurances of safe rescue, observed crew members dangling from the broken masts’ rigging.

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According to Katz, “We observed an individual suspended, and I was unsure if it was a visual distortion or merely a limitation of my eyesight.”

Using the zoom feature on our phone, we were able to make out that a person had been dangling from a harness above the building for almost fifteen minutes prior to their rescue.

Prior to the accident, 23-year-old Nick Corso used his smartphone to take photographs of the ship and its superstructure at dusk. In contrast, he heard a loud crunch, like a heavy stick had slammed about. Afterwards, we took the pictures.

He described the scene as one of “pandemonium,” with people frantically trying to reach safety. Not long after that, he saw a swarm of people dangling from a pole. “I didn’t know if the situation was real or not; I didn’t know how to respond,” the actor said.

Based on a statement made by the Mexican Navy on the social media site X, the Cuauhtemoc will be the training ship for the Mexican Naval Academy. Out of the twenty-two casualties, nineteen required medical attention.

The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has spoken out about her grief over the lives lost on board. In an interview with X, Sheinbaum said, “We extend our support and solidarity to their families.”

In 1883, the 1,600-foot (490-metre) Brooklyn Bridge was opened to the public. Two brick towers provide support for it. According to the city’s transport department, 32,000 people and 100,000 cars will use the region every day. At the beach, throngs of sightseers gather.

An investigation led to the traffic suspension; it was later restored.

The ship’s departure from its scheduled course lacked a clear justification. Unlike the Brooklyn Bridge, the boat had just departed from a port in Manhattan and was making its way to the ocean, according to Chief Wilson Aramboles of the Special Operations Division of the New York Police Department.

As said earlier, the captain of the ship lost power because of a mechanical issue. But government authorities have said that these are just early numbers. The video shows the Cuauhtemoc crashing with a nearby tugboat.

The Cuauhtemoc, a ship the Mexican Navy claims was launched in 1982, has a length of 297 feet and a width of 40 feet, or 90.5 metres long and 12 metres wide.

The ship’s principal mast is 48.9 meters (160 feet) tall, according to the Mexican government. The disabled ship was slowly towed up the East River, under the Manhattan Brooklyn Bridge, and moored at a dock just before midnight with the help of multiple tugboats. Spectators eagerly awaited the performance on the riverbank.

Every year, when cadet training concludes, the Cuauhtemoc departs from the navy military academy. Acapulco is a city on the Pacific coast of Mexico, and on April 6, 2019, the navy announced that it was leaving the area.

On May 13th, the day it arrived in New York City, the Mexican embassy announced its temporary opening to tourists. There would have been a total of 170 days at sea and 254 days of port calls at 22 different harbours on the ship’s planned route, which would have taken it through 15 countries.

SOURCE: AP