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A Mexican Navy training ship slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday, snapping all three of its masts as it collided with the iconic New York City landmark, injuring at least 22 people.
Onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror as the ship, its sails furled and festive lights draped in its rigging, tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them crashing into the East River.
The Mexican Navy said in a statement that 22 people on board the training ship were injured, three of them critically.
Some US media reports suggested that sailors had been in the rigging as the ship slammed into the bridge. The Navy said in its statement that no one had fallen into the water, and that no rescue operation had been launched.
Victims were rushed to local hospitals, The New York Post reported.
Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said.
It was unclear what caused the ship to veer off course. New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had just left a Manhattan pier and was supposed to have been headed out to sea, not toward the bridge.
He said an initial report was that the pilot of the ship had lost power due to a mechanical problem, though officials cautioned that information was preliminary. Videos show a tugboat was close to the Cuauhtemoc at the time of the crash.
According to multiple US media reports, around 200 people were on the Cuauhtemoc, a barque built in 1982 which had a mast height of 48.2 metres (158 feet), at the time.
The Cuauhtemoc had been on a training maneouver at the time and was damaged in the "mishap", the Mexican Navy said in a separate statement on X.
"The Ministry of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations and excellence in the training of future officers of the Mexican Navy," it said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP)