POLOKWANE – Two naval cadets died and at least 22 people were injured when the Mexican Navy’s training vessel, Cuauhtémoc, collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday (May 17)

The incident occurred shortly after the ship departed from Pier 17 in Manhattan, en route to Iceland as part of a global training mission, CBS News reports.

@nbcnews A historic Mexican naval training ship struck the #BrooklynBridge in #NewYorkCity, injuring multiple people, #NYC ♬ original sound – nbcnews

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Cuauhtémoc began backing away from the pier with the assistance of a tugboat at approximately 20:20. Within minutes, the vessel unexpectedly accelerated in reverse and struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge at around 20:24.

@todayshow Two people have died and more than a dozen others were injured when a historic Mexican naval training ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City on Saturday night. The ship’s captain lost control because of a mechanical issue, Mayor Eric Adams said, causing the naval training ship’s tall masts to hit the bottom of the 142-year-old bridge. #TODAYShow ♬ original sound – TODAY Show

The collision sheared off all three of the ship’s 147-foot masts. Some crew members were thrown onto the deck while others were left dangling from the rigging.

Investigators are probing a possible engine failure and faults in the ship’s control systems.

They are also looking into the tugboat’s role. Less than a minute before impact, a radio call requested additional tugboat assistance, suggesting the crew had lost control, PBS News reports.

@rallynews On the evening of May 17, 2025, the Mexican Navy’s tall ship, ARM Cuauhtémoc, collided with the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, resulting in two fatalities and 19 injuries among the 277 individuals aboard. The incident occurred around 8:26 p.m. as the vessel was departing Lower Manhattan for a training cruise. According to New York City officials, the ship experienced a mechanical failure that led to a loss of power, causing it to drift uncontrollably into the bridge’s structure. The impact caused the ship’s towering masts to snap, creating dramatic scenes captured on social media. Fortunately, the bridge sustained minimal damage and was reopened shortly after inspections. The Cuauhtémoc, a 150-foot-tall training vessel built in 1982 in Bilbao, Spain, is renowned for its international goodwill missions and cultural representation of Mexico. It had been docked at Pier 17 from May 13 to 17, 2025, offering public tours before the accident. The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 nations, including Kingston, Jamaica; Havana, Cuba; and Cozumel, Mexico. #nyc #brooklyn #navy #mexico #ship ♬ original sound – rallynews

As a military vessel, the Cuauhtémoc falls under international protocols that require diplomatic coordination.

Despite the severity of the incident, officials confirmed that the Brooklyn Bridge sustained no major structural damage and was reopened to traffic. The Cuauhtémoc remains docked at Pier 36 while investigations continue.

The 300-foot-long tall ship was on a 170-day global training voyage with 277 crew members, most of them from the Mexican naval academy. It had arrived in New York on 13 May and was open to the public prior to the collision.

Authorities continue to determine the exact cause of the mechanical failure and the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.