Nearly 300 people were aboard at the time of the crash, according to officials.
NTSB to inspect Brooklyn Bridge following ship crashNew York authorities said the Mexican Navy ship lost power and mechanical function, and the current caused the ship to crash into the pillar of the bridge.
A Mexican Navy sailboat with 277 people on board crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others who were on board in a dramatic scene along the New York City waterfront, according to authorities.
The crash occurred at 8:30 p.m., resulting in at least 19 people injured, according to the New York Police Department. Four people were left with serious injuries, according to city officials, who gave a press briefing late Saturday evening.
Mayor Eric Adams said early Sunday that two people were dead following the crash. Two others remained in critical condition, he said in a statement posted to social media.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is sending a go-team to New York City to investigate the crash, the federal agency said Sunday morning.
The captain, who was maneuvering the ship, lost power and mechanical function, and the current “caused the ship to go right into the pillar of the bridge, hitting the mass of the ship where there was a couple of sailors,” NYPD Chief Wilson Aramboles said during a press briefing.
The sailors were injured as a result of the mass striking the bridge, according to Aramboles.
Numerous cellphone videos from nearby onlookers captured the moment the ship’s masts, decorated with lights, collided with the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge. Members of the ship’s crew were seen dangling from the masts after the collision.
No one fell into the water, according to officials. Officials said they did not believe the bridge sustained any structural damage. The bridge has since been reopened to traffic, Adams said just after midnight, adding that “we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage” after a preliminary inspection.
“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,” he said.
The ship was disembarking from Pier 17 and heading to Iceland, officials said.
The NTSB was on site immediately after the crash and said it will begin its investigation into the cause but preliminary information shows it was likely a mechanical issue with the sailboat, according to officials.
