Cuauhtémoc ship: A Mexican Navy training ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge, killing at least 2. Here’s what to know

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At least two people were killed and about 20 injured when a Mexican Navy training ship on a global goodwill tour struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Saturday night, officials said.

There were 277 people on the sailing ship, called the Cuauhtémoc, at the time of the incident and everyone is believed to be accounted for, officials said Saturday.

Dramatic video shows the Cuauhtémoc’s masts hitting the underside of the bridge and breaking as the vessel passes underneath, with pieces falling down toward the deck.

The incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. local time as the ship was departing from New York’s Pier 17, where it had been docked at the South Street Seaport Museum for five days of public viewing.

The ship’s masts – bedecked in lights - struck the bridge, breaking on impact and sending debris falling onto the vessel’s deck.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the ship lost power. City officials earlier said “mechanical issues” may have caused the incident, but cautioned all information so far is preliminary. An investigation is ongoing.

The New York Fire Department said in an email to CNN it received the call that a ship had struck the bridge around 8:39 p.m. More than 100 fire and emergency medical service personnel responded to the scene, NYFD said in its email.

The ship's masts were damaged in the collision. Nick Corso/AP

Video of the Mexican Navy training ship shortly after it struck the Brooklyn Bridge showed people hanging from at least one of its masts. On tall ships like the Cuauhtémoc, it is a ceremonial tradition for sailors to climb the masts and rigging when departing or arriving into harbor.

“We could see some people being kind of dragged,” an eyewitness, Flavio Moreira, told CNN. “I believe it was some of the staff, they were on the top of the boat. And they were swinging around, back and forth as soon as the ship hit the bridge.”

Two people were killed and two remain in critical condition, Adams said. The two who died fell from one of the ship’s masts, the law enforcement official told CNN. They were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital, the official said.

“At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams wrote on X.

The Mexican Navy said earlier a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospitals.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the two people killed were crew members and sent her condolences to their families.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and support go out to their families,” Sheinbaum said in a post on X early Sunday.

Sheinbaum said the Mexican Navy is supporting those injured in the incident, and that the Mexican ambassador to the United States and Mexican Consulate General were supporting the navy.

New York Fire Department divers prepare to dive the East River after a masted Mexican Navy training ship collided with the Brooklyn Bridge, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in New York. Yuki Iwamura/AP

The ship appeared to lose power around 8:20 p.m. as the captain was maneuvering the ship, which forced the vessel toward the bridge’s pillar and the ship’s mast struck the bridge, New York Police Department Chief Wilson Aramboles said at a news conference Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation.

Mexican authorities described the Cuauhtémoc ship as a steel-hulled three-masted barque with a length of around 300 feet and a height of roughly 160 feet, a 2024 news release from one of its training cruises said.

Government documents show the Brooklyn Bridge has a navigational clearance of 127 feet, roughly 30 feet shorter than the height of the sailing ship.

There was no visible damage to the Brooklyn Bridge, which appeared to be left structurally intact.

“While inspections will remain ongoing, there are no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge,” NY Department of Transportation said in a post on X.

Traffic was temporarily closed in both directions for about 40 minutes as emergency services responded to the scene. It was later reopened following a preliminary inspection, Adams said.

This ship has been moved to Manhattan’s Pier 36, located along the East River less than a mile from the Brooklyn Bridge, according to the law enforcement official.

This screengrab taken from a video appears to show people hanging from the mast of the Mexican Navy training ship shortly after it struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, on Saturday, May 18, 2025. More than a dozen people were injured, and while no one is reported missing, two people died, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Flavio Morerira

What do we know about the ship?

The Cuauhtémoc is a training sailing ship of the Mexican Navy and described by officials as a diplomatic symbol of Mexico abroad.

Known as the “Ambassador and Knight of the Seas,” the ship was in New York as part of a global goodwill tour and was en route to Iceland at the time of the incident.

A spokesperson for the New York City-area Sail4th 250 events told CNN that the Cuauhtémoc ship had “welcomed dignitaries and media” as part of its New York stop on its global tour.

The sailing ship was expected to join the parade of international tall ships to celebrate the United States’s 250 anniversary on July 4, 2026 – in what the event is calling “the largest-ever flotilla of tall ships from around the world.”

Built in Spain in 1981, the ship was acquired by the Mexican Navy to train cadets and officers. It regularly takes part in major regattas around the world. According to a news release from one of its global cruises, it was used for training by the Heroic Naval Military School, an elite military academy in Mexico.

The ship, as of last year, had visited 212 ports in 64 countries with 756,085 nautical miles sailed, the latter equivalent to making 35 trips around the world, the release said.

This story has been updated with additional information.