US probes Mexican ship's deadly New York bridge collision
The white-hulled ship was moored on May 18 along the banks of the East River. PHOTO: AFP
NEW YORK - US safety officials launched a probe on May 18 after a 150-foot (46m) tall Mexican sailing ship crashed into New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge, snapping its masts and killing two crew members.
Numerous sailors were positioned among the navy vessel Cuauhtemoc's rigging at the time, video of the incident showed.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said early on May 18 that 277 people had been on board the vessel and that two people had died from their injuries, without specifying where they were located on the vessel.
Nineteen others sustained injuries, he said, two of whom were in critical condition.
The white-hulled ship was moored on May 18 along the banks of the East River, its mangled masts contrasting against colourful decorations for its US departure.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on social media that it was 'launching a go-team' to conduct an initial probe of the crash.
Nearby the ship, Mr Aldo Ordonez told AFP that his sister, 24-year-old cadet Alejandra Ordonez, had been standing among the sails when the ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge.
His sister was temporarily left hanging from a sail, he said, but sustained only minor injuries and slept with others on the boat.
Mr Aldo Ordonez arrived on the morning of May 18 from Mexico City after seeing the accident on television.
Crew members were expected to fly home to Mexico later on May 18, he said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she was 'deeply saddened' by the two crew members' deaths.
The ship lost power at around 8.20pm while the captain was manoeuvring the vessel, forcing it to head for a bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side, New York police chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles told a press conference.
There was 'panic on the ship,' Brooklyn resident Nick Corso, 23, who was standing near the water, told AFP.
He had been poised to take a photo, but when he realised what was happening he switched to video.
'Lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts, looked like panic happening on the ship,' he said.
The Mexican Navy said in its statement that no one had fallen into the water, and that no rescue operation had been launched.
The ship had been departing New York at the time and flags fluttered in its rigging, while an enormous Mexican flag waved off its stern.
The Cuauhtemoc, built in 1982, was sailing to Iceland when it crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge when it opened in 1883.
The incident is the second deadly ship crash into a US bridge in little over a year, after a fully laden cargo vessel smashed into a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland in March 2024, causing it to collapse and killing six road workers. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
a day ago
- Business Times
Bust attributed to Donatello splits Slovakia
[Bratislava] A bust attributed to Renaissance master Donatello as re-emerged in Slovakia after falling into obscurity following World War II, but the country's nationalist government has sparked anger by squirrelling it away in a ministry building. The sculpture of Italian noblewoman Cecilia Gonzaga spent centuries in a manor house in central Slovakia, whose owners, the noble Csaky family, left behind when they fled the advancing World War II front in 1945. Moved about and ultimately forgotten in the aftermath, it was sitting in a depository at the Spis Museum in the eastern town of Levoca when art historian Marta Herucova stumbled across it. The bust had been marked 'unknown author'. But Herucova noticed the base was inscribed with the words: 'Ceciliae Gonzagae opvs Donatelli' (Cecilia Gonzaga, a work by Donatello). If confirmed, it would be only the eighth artwork signed by the Italian Renaissance sculptor discovered worldwide. Herucova made the find in 2019, but it was announced only in February – surprising the country. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'Who would expect an original Donatello to appear in Slovakia?' former museum director Maria Novotna told AFP. But the bust is now a subject of controversy. Nationalist Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova decided to remove it from the museum and take it to an unknown location in late May, citing security. The move dismayed critics and art historians, who said the bust needs expert conservation and research to confirm if it is really by Donatello (1386-1466). War story The bust has an epic backstory. After the Csaky family fled, Soviet troops looted their house, which then became a juvenile detention centre for girls after the communist government took over former Czechoslovakia in 1948. The girls played with the bust and even defined its eyes with a blue pen, said Peter Cizmar, the son of a former guardian. In 1975, artwork still surviving at the centre was moved to the nearby Spis Museum. Attributed to an unknown 19th-century artist, the bust 'was put in a depository and had not left it since', said former director Novotna, an art historian. Novotna was in charge of the museum catalogue as a young worker, and now bemoans a lack of time for research as she was swamped with work. Dinner companion In 2019, Herucova was working on the museum's 19th-century collection when she found the piece. 'The bust just came up,' she said. After noticing the inscription, she started in-depth research. She suspected forgery but the material, details and inscription were all too telling, she said. 'Even artists who made Renaissance-style busts never signed them in the name of the original author,' Herucova told AFP. She wrote about the finding in the French art history magazine Revue de l'Art, waiting for someone to contest the bust's origin – which has not happened. Herucova also contacted Count Moritz Csaky, who had no clear recollection of its origin either, as his family left for Vienna when he was 11. But he did recall seeing the bust placed on the porch, where the family dined in summer. 'He said there used to be two original Gothic statues next to it, which are also in the museum today,' Herucova said. 'Safe and protected' Herucova also contacted Italian art history professor Francesco Caglioti, who voiced doubt about the authorship but declined to elaborate. She is now pinning hopes on research in cooperation with foreign institutions. But for now, the bust is hidden away. Simkovicova, the culture minister who ordered it to be moved with the help of a police commando, said it was 'now safe and protected'. Police chief Jana Maskarova later said the bust was at an interior ministry centre in Topolcianky, central Slovakia. Simkovicova promised to display the bust when 'conditions are favourable'. Herucova hopes the ministry will not try to revamp the bust, which should retain its patina, she said. 'It's supposed to go to a professional place where they know how to do lab analyses.' Emancipated noblewoman Research suggests the bust was made when Cecilia Gonzaga (1426-1451) became engaged to influential politician Oddantonio da Montefeltro. Her father made the match, seeking to bolster relations between the families, but the well-educated girl chose a life in a convent over marriage. It is known that her brother commissioned artworks from Donatello. The Gonzagas later fostered strong ties with the imperial court of Vienna, and were united by marriage with the Csaky family. Some studies suggested that the bust was made after Cecilia Gonzaga became a nun, possibly based on an earlier coin bearing her likeness. Novotna said she believed the bust was Donatello's work. 'But we need further research, and precisions and evaluations will definitely be made in the decades to come. You don't find works like this every day, do you?' AFP
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
Explosion, injuries reported at US air base in Japan's Okinawa
F15 fighter jets at Japan's Air-Self Defence Force Naha Base during a tsunami respone training on Sept 8, 2023. PHOTO: NAHA_AIRBASE/X Explosion, injuries reported at US air base in Japan's Okinawa Tokyo - An explosion occurred at a Japanese military facility inside a US air base in Okinawa on June 9, officials told AFP, with local media reporting non-life-threatening injuries. A defence ministry spokesman said they had received reports of an explosion at the Japan Self-Defence Forces (SDF) facility inside Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese region. Jiji Press and other local media said four injuries had been reported but none were life-threatening. Public broadcaster NHK said, citing unnamed defence ministry sources, that the explosion may have occurred at a temporary storage site for unexploded bombs, with officials trying to confirm the situation. 'We've heard there was an explosion at the SDF facility and also heard there were injuries but we don't have further details,' said Mr Yuta Matsuda, a local official of Yomitan village in Okinawa. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
a day ago
- Straits Times
No deaths as plane with 20 aboard crashes in Tennessee: US authorities
State troopers and police cars at the scene of a plane crash on Old Shelbyville Road in Tullahoma, Tennessee on June 8, 2025. PHOTO: AFP No deaths as plane with 20 aboard crashes in Tennessee: US authorities WASHINGTON - No one was killed, but several people were injured and taken to hospital on June 8 when a skydiving plane carrying 20 passengers and crew crashed in the US state of Tennessee, authorities said. A twin-engine plane used for skydiving expeditions crashed shortly after midday in Tullahoma, south of Nashville, according to local and federal officials. 'There were no casualties,' city spokesman Lyle Russell said in a statement sent to AFP. He said a total of 20 passengers and crew were onboard the DeHaviland DH-6 Twin Otter when it crashed at the Tullahoma Regional Airport at around 12.30pm. 'Three were sent for medical treatment via helicopter and one sent by ground transport for more serious injuries to local hospitals,' he said, adding that 'other minor injuries were treated by first responders on scene.' Mr Russell said that 'no ground facilities or airport facilities were damaged and there were no injuries reported from the ground.' The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the crash, while the Tennessee Highway Patrol said on X that its troopers were assisting police at the scene. Images posted on social media by the highway patrol showed a small, white plane with blue trim with its nose buried into the grass and its tail and a wing broken off behind it, with police vehicles with flashing lights parked nearby. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
