US probes Brooklyn Bridge ship crash that left two dead

US federal transportation officials have launched an investigation into why a Mexican navy tall ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in a collision that snapped the vessel’s three masts, killing two crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air.

- RUTH BROWN, KYLE MARIAN VITERBO

The ship, known as the Cuauhtemoc, was visiting New York on a global goodwill tour when the accident occurred on Saturday evening. The vessel could be seen in multiple eyewitness videos travelling swiftly in reverse towards the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River. Its three masts then struck the bridge and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving.

It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to investigate. They were expected to arrive yesterday afternoon.

New York City mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge escaped major damage but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment. Two of the four people who suffered serious injuries later died, Mr Adams announced on social media.

Videos showed heavy traffic on the span at the time of the 8.20pm collision. No one on the bridge was hurt. The vessel, which was flying a giant Mexican flag and had 277 people aboard, then drifted into a pier on the riverbank as onlookers fled. Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, remarkably, no one fell into the water, officials said.