Family mourns Mexican naval cadet killed in New York bridge crash
Dozens of friends and relatives attended a funeral for 20-year-old America Yamileth Sanchez, who died along with Adal Jair Maldonado, 23.
Around 20 other crew members were injured when the training ship, which visits foreign ports on goodwill voyages, crashed into the iconic New York bridge on Saturday, snapping the masts.
Sanchez's coffin was received with flowers, candles and tears at her home in Xalapa in the eastern state of Veracruz after a procession through the city.
Mourners shouted the name of the young cadet, who was pictured in her navy uniform.
"She is an example for future generations to come -- an excellent person, a wonderful human being," her father Herminio Cosme Sanchez said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered her "love and solidarity" to the family.
Numerous sailors were positioned among the Cuauhtemoc ship's rigging at the time of the crash.
It had begun a seven-month voyage in April from its base in the Pacific coastal city of Acapulco.
The vessel had been departing New York at the time of the accident with flags fluttering from its rigging and an enormous Mexican flag waving off its stern.
The US National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that a preliminary report into the collision was expected within 30 days.
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France 24
20-05-2025
- France 24
Family mourns Mexican naval cadet killed in New York bridge crash
Dozens of friends and relatives attended a funeral for 20-year-old America Yamileth Sanchez, who died along with Adal Jair Maldonado, 23. Around 20 other crew members were injured when the training ship, which visits foreign ports on goodwill voyages, crashed into the iconic New York bridge on Saturday, snapping the masts. Sanchez's coffin was received with flowers, candles and tears at her home in Xalapa in the eastern state of Veracruz after a procession through the city. Mourners shouted the name of the young cadet, who was pictured in her navy uniform. "She is an example for future generations to come -- an excellent person, a wonderful human being," her father Herminio Cosme Sanchez said. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered her "love and solidarity" to the family. Numerous sailors were positioned among the Cuauhtemoc ship's rigging at the time of the crash. It had begun a seven-month voyage in April from its base in the Pacific coastal city of Acapulco. The vessel had been departing New York at the time of the accident with flags fluttering from its rigging and an enormous Mexican flag waving off its stern. The US National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that a preliminary report into the collision was expected within 30 days.
France 24
18-05-2025
- France 24
US probes Mexican ship's deadly New York bridge collision
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 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. Crew members 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 crew members' 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.
Euronews
18-05-2025
- Euronews
Mexican navy sailing ship hits New York's Brooklyn Bridge
A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour has struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, snapping its three masts, killing two crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air waiting for help. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment. Two of the four people who suffered serious injuries later died, Adams announced on social media early Sunday. The cause of the collision was under investigation. In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the ship, called the Cuauhtemoc, could be seen traveling swiftly in reverse toward the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River. Then, its three masts struck the bridge's span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving. Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the 8:20 p.m. collision. No one on the bridge was reported injured. The vessel, which was flying a giant Mexican flag and had 277 people aboard, then drifted into a pier on the riverbank as onlookers scrambled away. Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, remarkably, no one fell into the water, officials said. Sydney Neidell and Lily Katz told The Associated Press they were sitting outside to watch the sunset when they saw the vessel strike the bridge. 'We saw someone dangling, and I couldn't tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for like at least like 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,' Katz said. The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was an academy training vessel. It said a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom needed medical treatment. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum regretted the loss of the two crew members. 'Our solidarity and support go out to their families,' Sheinbaum said on X. Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said. It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge. He said an initial report was that the pilot of the ship had lost power due to a mechanical problem, though officials cautioned that information was preliminary. Videos show a tugboat was close to the Cuauhtemoc at the time of the crash. The Cuauhtemoc — about 90.5 meters long and 12 meters wide, according to the Mexican navy — sailed for the first time in 1982. The vessel's main mast has a height of 160 feet (48.9 meters), according to the Mexican government. Each year the Cuauhtemoc sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training. This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6, the navy said. It arrived in New York City on May 13, where visitors were welcome for several days, the Mexican consulate said. The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over 254 days, 170 of them at sea.
