Navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge - as two die and others injured

A Mexican navy ship has crashed into New York's Brooklyn Bridge, leaving two crew members dead and at least 17 others injured.

The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel with 277 people on board, was damaged in the collision. Video posted online showed the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, travelling in reverse and hitting the underside of the bridge.

It sheared the top of its masts and drifted towards the Brooklyn side of the East River as onlookers scrambled away from shore. Naval cadets dressed in white uniforms could be seen dangling from the ship's crossbeams after the crash.

New York City mayor Eric Adams said two people had died and 17 others were injured, including two who were in a critical condition. Witnesses said they saw two people removed from the ship on stretchers.

No one is thought to have fallen into the water. The 147ft (45m) masts were too tall to clear the arched bridge and toppled when the vessel, named after the last Aztec emperor, sailed in reverse underneath.

It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. New York police chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not towards the bridge.

He said an initial report suggested the vessel lost power due to a mechanical problem. Police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the National Transportation Safety Board would be taking over the investigation.

Mr Adams said a "unified effort" was under way to "make sure that we look after all of those who were on the ship". The bridge, which is a main conduit between Manhattan and Brooklyn, has since reopened with no major damage.

The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft (90m) long and 40ft (12m) wide, according to the Mexican navy. It was built in Spain and sailed for the first time in 1982.

Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets' training. It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.

Read more:'Mass casualty event' as tornadoes hit parts of USTeenager in 'continuous pain' after 'inappropriate' operations The Mexican consulate said on social media last week that the Cuauhtemoc - also dubbed the "Ambassador and Knight of the Seas" - arrived in New York on 13 May. 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 to Reykjavik in Iceland, Bordeaux, Saint Malo and Dunkirk in France, Aberdeen in Scotland and other locations for a total of 254 days, 170 of them at sea..