The Cauhtemoc, a Mexican Navy sailing ship carrying almost 300 people, crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City during a promotional tour on Saturday evening, 17 May, reports Cape town Etc .
Preliminary reports suggest that the training ship, which measured 91m in length and 12m in width, lost power due to a mechanical problem moments before the collision, forcing it to head towards the bridge, New York police chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles said in a press conference.
The vessels 45m masts were too tall to pass through the iconic bridge, which has an approximate 41m clearance at its centre.
The collision resulted in the deaths of two crew members dead with 19 others injured, two of whom remain in critical condition, according to the citys mayor, Eric Adams .
The two crew members fell from one of the ships masts, a law enforcement official told CNN . They were pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.
