Mexican navy ship hits Brooklyn Bridge; 20 injured, 3 critical
NEW YORK >> A Mexican navy training sailboat with nearly 300 people on board struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge today, the New York Police Department said.
Several people needed help after the impact, a spokesperson for the Police Department said. No other information was immediately available.
The masts of the ship, which was flying a giant Mexican flag, snapped when they hit the underside of the bridge, according to video posted on social media.
The vessel lurched, but stayed upright as it came to a stop at the Brooklyn Promenade about 8:30 p.m., according to video and images from the scene. Its masts appeared to be badly damaged.
“The status of personnel and equipment is being reviewed by naval and local authorities, who are providing support,” according to a social media post written in Spanish from the Mexican secretariat of the navy.
There were 277 people on board, a Fire Department official said. Among those injured, three were deemed to be in critical condition and another 17 were serious. Everyone on board the ship is believed to be accounted for, the official said.
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Nick Corso, 23, was finishing dinner with friends at a restaurant by the Promenade when they saw the ship heading toward them.
He thought at first that the vessel would clear the bridge, he said, but then “the top lights on the mast disappeared behind the bridge and I was like, oh, it’s not going to make it.”
When the top of the mast hit the underside of the bridge, he said, “you could hear it snap.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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