What happened when the Mexican Navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two
A Mexican Navy tall ship called the Armada de la República Mexicana (ARM) Cuauhtémoc struck the Brooklyn Bridge at about 8:24 p.m. EST Saturday, May 17 killing two sailors and injuring over a dozen more.
Though the precise cause isn't yet known, the ship was moving backward along the East River in New York after departing from the South Street Seaport as it collided with the Brooklyn Bridge.
All three of the ship's masts, which were decorated with string lights, collided with the bridge and were sheared off upon impact. The Brooklyn Bridge sustained no structural damage.
How the Brooklyn Bridge crash unfolded:
From a May 19 briefing from the NTSB:
Around 8:20 p.m., May 17: The ship began backing away from Pier 17 with assistance from a tugboat. The intent was to sail south, down the East River, and head for sea.
A preliminary weather report describes the current was flowing toward the bridge at about 0.3 knots. Westerly winds were blowing at about 10 knots. The ship's speed increased to about 6 knots by the time it collided with the bridge.
8:24 p.m.: As it was moving toward the bridge, the ship called for tugboats in the area to assist via VHF radio, followed by two more requests for help.8:24:45: The ship's masts collided with the bridge.
Of the 277 on board, two were killed and 22 were injured, including three who were seriously hurt, the Mexican Navy said on social media.
Videos shared online from bystanders showed Naval cadets dressed in white uniforms dangling from their harnesses on the damaged masts and the ship's crossbeams.
8:27: The vessel came to a stop. 8:30 NYPD and FDNY were on scene.
"The Cuauhtémoc is currently moored at Pier 36 on the East River as damage assessments and future actions for the salvage plans for the vessel are being determined," the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The NTSB requests anyone who has video of the incident to email witness@ntsb.gov to assist with its investigation.
What ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge?
The Cuauhtémoc is a 300-foot-long, steel-hulled three-masted barque launched in 1982, according to a recent fact sheet from the ship's handlers. The ship, named after the last Aztec emperor, and its crew are a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad, according to the fact sheet.
The vessel was a training ship for the Mexican Navy and had docked in New York from May 13-17. It had planned to head south from New York Harbor toward Iceland on a mission of carrying 'the message of peace and goodwill of the Mexican people to the seas and ports of the world.'
Its mission, called the "Consolidation of the Independence of Mexico 2025," began April 6, and the ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations over the course of 254 days. Prior to landing in New York, it had visited Kingston, Jamaica, Havana, Cuba and Cozumel, Mexico.
Where is the Brooklyn Bridge?
How many people died in the Brooklyn Bridge accident?
A female cadet and a male Marine died from their injuries, Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters on Sunday. The two victims have been identified as 20-year-old América Sánchez and 23-year-old Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos.
The injured personnel were transported to local hospitals in Manhattan to receive care, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to the U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), the city of New York helped transport 179 crew members out of the country while about 94 are still living and working on board the ship.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the @SEMAR_mx training ship Cuauhtémoc incident at the Brooklyn Bridge," the U.S. ambassador in Mexico, Ronald Johnson, said in a post on X. "We are monitoring closely and are in touch with the Government of Mexico via @SRE_mx to provide support as necessary. You have our full support."
Why did the ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge?
The NTSB is actively investigating the incident and has declined to provide any probable cause of the crash at this time. The agency will preliminary report after 30 days, and that the entire investigation could take 12-24 months, said an NTSB representative at a May 19 press conference.
Contributing: Gabrielle Banks and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters
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CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Air India plane crash investigation is underway. Here's what we know.
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Newsweek
5 hours ago
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Seat 11A and How Just One Man Could Survive Air India Plane Crash—by Expert
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Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
What we know about the Air India plane crash, investigation
A large passenger plane with 242 people on board crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, shortly after its departure for London Gatwick Airport. Officials say 241 of the passengers and crew were confirmed dead, but one passenger survived. Casualties were also reported on the ground. "Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off," the airline said in a statement posted to social media. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, left Ahmedabad Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time. The plane went down minutes later in a residential area, hitting buildings, including the dining area of a medical college, officials said. Although law enforcement initially told reporters that no one on the plane survived, officials later confirmed that one man had survived and was being treated at a local hospital. Here's what we know so far. Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad The director general of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after its departure from Ahmedabad airport. The live tracking site Flight Radar reported receiving a final signal from the aircraft only seconds after it took off. Data collected by Flight Radar showed the jet briefly reaching a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet before beginning to descend at a vertical speed of about 475 feet per minute — a steep dive. Video shared online and verified by CBS News showed the jet low over buildings near the airport, descending toward the ground and disappearing from view. An enormous ball of fire and smoke erupted seconds later. What caused the Air India crash? The cause of Thursday's crash was not immediately clear. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it will lead a U.S. team currently heading to India to assist the local authorities. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials also said they are deploying teams to India to assist in the investigation alongside the NTSB. "When an international incident occurs, that government leads the investigation," the FAA said in a statement. "In the event assistance is requested, the NTSB is the official U.S. representative and the FAA provides technical support. We stand ready to launch a team immediately in coordination with the NTSB." Air India and Boeing said they are prepared to cooperate and support the investigation. In videos of the crash, the plane appeared to have its landing gear down and flaps up at a time in the flight when those should have been reversed, former NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt told CBS News. Aviation consultant John M. Cox told the AP the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing, which investigators are expected to look at. "At this point, it's very, very, very early, we don't know a whole lot," he said. "But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring — the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands — so once we get that recorder, they'll be able to know pretty quickly what happened." The plane's black boxes, which consist of the flight data recorder and voice recorder, had not been recovered yet. India's civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said he was "shocked and devastated" by the crash. "We are on highest alert," Kinjarapu wrote in a social media post. "I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us" and called it "heartbreaking beyond words." Map shows where Air India plane crashed The Air India crash happened in the city of Ahmedabad, near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where the plane had departed. Ahmedabad is located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Victims of the Air India crash Air India said in a statement that 241 people on the plane died in the crash. "The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital," the airline said in a statement. The passengers of the plane were identified as 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, Air India said. The airline said the survivor is a British national of Indian origin. Indian media outlets identified U.K. citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh as the man in a local hospital who said he had survived the crash. He had been listed as the passenger in seat 11A on the flight manifest shared by Indian authorities. Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital told the AP that he had examined Ramesh. While the survivor "was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body ... he seems to be out of danger," Gameti said. At least five medical students died when part of the plane hit the dining area of B.J. Medical College, Divyansh Singh, the vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association told the AP. Singh said almost 50 people who were in the building are injured — some critically. "We are in close contact with our peers in the hospital who are on a lookout for more people feared buried in the debris," he said. The Indian Army was assisting civil authorities in combing through the debris and helping to treat the injured, the AP reported. London Gatwick Airport said it was working with Air India to establish hotlines for relatives of flight AI171's passengers. "London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided," airport officials said in a statement. "British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000. Air India have set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information." Spotlight on Boeing The Air India crash appeared to be the first involving a Boeing Dreamliner, according to the company's statistical summary of commercial jet accidents between 1954 and 2024. The aircraft manufacturer has described this model as the aviation industry's "best-selling passenger widebody of all time." "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected," a spokesperson for Boeing said in a statement to CBS News several hours after the incident. On Wall Street, shares of Boeing fell $15.34, or 7.2%, to $198.66 in pre-market trading. Video shows Air India plane crashing in Ahmedabad Air India plane crashes shortly after takeoff, carrying more than 240 people An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband
