A Mexican navy ship has crashed into New York's Brooklyn Bridge, leaving two crew members dead and at least 19 others injured.
US officials said 277 people were on board the Cuauhtémoc when the vessel lost power and collided with the landmark on Saturday evening.
Online footage showed the ship's mast clipping the bridge whilst travelling in reverse and hitting the bridge's underside.
Authorities said crew members were standing on the masts at the time of the collision, which all snapped and fell to the deck.
A Mexican navy ship has crashed into New York's Brooklyn Bridge, leaving two crew members dead and at least 19 others injured
Reuters
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that two people had sadly died and 19 were injured, including two who were left in a critical condition.
Adams added: "We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse."
Following the preliminary inspection, the major confirmed that the bridge, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, sustained no damage and has now reopened.
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US officials said 277 people were on board the Cuauhtémoc when the vessel lost power and collided with the landmark on Saturday evening
Reuters
Police said they believed a power cut and "mechanical issues" had caused the Cuauhtémoc, which was flying a large Mexican flag, to collide with one of the pillars of the bridge.
The 147ft masts snapped as they were too tall to clear the 135ft arched bridge.
New York Police Department told residents to avoid the area of Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport in Manhattan, and Dumbo in Brooklyn.
The city police department said: "Expect heavy traffic and a large presence of emergency vehicles in the surrounding area."
The bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn
PA
The Cuauhtémoc, which was built in Spain and sailed for the first time in 1982, has since been towed away.
The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 countries, including Kingston in Jamaica, Havana in Cuba, Cozumel back in Mexico, and New York.
It also had planned to sail for another 254 days to Reykjavik in Iceland, Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk in France, Aberdeen in Scotland and other locations, spending 170 days at sea.
Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River.
