A Mexican navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night, shearing off the top of its masts, killing two people and injuring 17 others, New York Mayor Eric Adams said, Reuters reported.
Video footage shows the training ship "Cuatemoc" approaching the iconic bridge over the East River, near Manhattan, which connects the borough with Brooklyn.
Its 45-meter masts were too high and collapsed when the ship, named after the last Aztec emperor, sailed underneath.
The Mexican Navy said on social media late Saturday that 22 people were injured on the ship, 19 of whom were treated at local hospitals, three of whom were seriously injured.
No rescue operations were necessary because no one fell into the water, it added.
Early Sunday, Adams said on social media that two of the 277 people on board had died and two were in critical condition.
Navy cadets dressed in white uniforms could be seen hanging from the ship's crossbeams after the crash.
"No one fell into the water, everyone was injured in the boat," a police official said.
He said mechanical problems likely caused the accident, without providing other details.
The bridge, a popular tourist attraction and the main channel between Manhattan and Brooklyn, was built in 1883. It was once the largest suspension bridge in the world.
The bridge did not suffer any major damage, the New York City transit authority said. Traffic has reopened in both directions after a preliminary investigation.
Earlier, the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced on social media that the Mexican ambassador to the United States (US) and other officials were assisting the cadets and were in contact with local authorities.
The training ship "Cuautemoc" was built at the Celaya shipyard in Bilbao, Spain, in 1981, according to the South Street Seaport Museum, which said on its website that it was co-hosting the ship's visit to New York that was scheduled to end Saturday night.
The public was invited to come aboard.
The ship was disembarking from New York and heading to Iceland, a New York City police official said.
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