Mexico navy tall ship hits Brooklyn Bridge, killing 2
NEW YORK: US safety officials launched a probe Sunday after a 150-foot-tall Mexican sailing ship crashed into New York's iconic Brooklyn Bridge, snapping its masts and killing two crewmembers. 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 Sunday 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 Sunday along the banks of the East River, its mangled masts contrasting against colorful 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, 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.
Aldo Ordonez arrived Sunday morning from Mexico City after seeing the accident on television. Crewmembers were expected to fly home to Mexico later Sunday, he said. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she was 'deeply saddened' by the two crewmembers' deaths. The ship lost power at around 8:20 pm (0020 GMT Sunday) while the captain was maneuvering 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 realized 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
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Arab Times
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Coast Guard suspends search for plane that crashed into the ocean off San Diego and killed 6
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Kuwait Times
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Nickel rush for stainless steel, EVs guts Indonesia tribe's forest home
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The plight of the Hongana Manyawa, or 'People of the Forest', started gaining attention in Indonesia last year after a video widely shared on Facebook showed emaciated, un-contacted members emerging from their rapidly changing forest home to beg for food. But the remote region - about 1,500 miles (2,414 kilometers) from capital Jakarta - mostly remains far from the public consciousness. AFP travelled into the Halmahera jungle to see how the sprawling Weda Bay Nickel concession has affected the once-pristine tribal lands that the Hongana Manyawa call home. During a three-day, 36-kilometre trek across parts of the 45,000-hectare concession, the mining operation's impacts were starkly clear. Booms from controlled explosions to expose nickel shook birds from trees, while helicopters buzzing overhead shared the skies with green parrots, Moluccan owls, hornbills and giant bees. Tree stumps provided evidence of logging, and off-duty mine guards were seen hunting tropical birds with air guns. Throughout the night, the sound of excavators scratching the topsoil penetrated the thick vegetation, competing with frog calls and the drone of insects. Mud that locals say is stirred up by mining has stained rivers copper, and the water leaves skin irritated. In 22 river crossings, only a few fish were visible. Tribe members say they have mostly disappeared. AFP did not seek to meet un-contacted Hongana Manyawa. Bokum emerged from isolation earlier in his life, but still has very limited contact with the outside world. He and his wife Nawate agreed to meet AFP around 45 minutes from his home deeper in the jungle. But he could not stay long: en route, he spotted miners and wanted to return to ward them off. 'The company workers have been trying to map our territory,' he told AFP, wearing a black cowboy hat, shirt and rolled-up jeans. 'It's our home and we will not give it to them.' Indonesia's constitution enshrines Indigenous land rights, and a 2013 Constitutional Court ruling promised to give local communities greater control of their customary forests. But environmental groups say the law is not well enforced. With no land titles, the Hongana Manyawa have little chance of asserting their claims to stewardship of forest that overlaps with Weda Bay's concession. According to Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), its mine on Indonesia's Maluku islands accounted for 17 percent of global nickel production in 2023, making it the largest in the world. WBN is a joint venture of Indonesia's Antam and Singapore-based Strand Minerals, with shares divided between French mining giant Eramet and Chinese steel major Tsingshan. — AFP WBN told AFP it is 'committed to responsible mining and protecting the environment', and trains employees to 'respect local customs and traditions'. It said there is 'no evidence that un-contacted or isolated groups are being impacted by WBN's operations'. 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'This land belongs to the Hongana Manyawa,' he said. 'They existed living in the rainforest before even the state existed. So go away.' That sentiment echoes elsewhere on Halmahera. At least 11 Indigenous people were recently arrested for protesting mining activity in the island's east, Amnesty International said Monday. 'We will not give our consent' Despite their 'contacted' status, Bokum and Nawate have rarely met outsiders. They approached haltingly, with Nawate refusing to speak at all, instead surveying her visitors with a cautious smile. Bokum described moving at least six times to outrun encroaching miners. NGOs fear the mine operation risks wiping out the tribe. 'They rely entirely on what nature provides for them to survive and as their rainforest is being devastated so too are they,' said Callum Russell, Asia research and advocacy officer at Survival International. 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Arab Times
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4 crew members unaccounted for after fire on Singapore-registered vessel off Indian coast
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