THE two Mexican Navy cadets who tragically died in the Brooklyn Bridge crash have now been pictured.
Doomed mariners America Yamilet Sanchez and Adal Jair Marcos were up on the masts of Cuauhtemoc when the ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sanchez was a 20-year-old talented swimmer who came from the port city of Veracruz.
The award-winning athlete is thought to have arrived in New York on May 13 as part of Cuauhtémoc’s international tour.
Meanwhile Marcos, who came from the Mexican city of Oaxaca, was onboard the ship for the past nine months, according to the New York Post.
He has been described as a beloved world traveler by his friends.
Sánchez and Marcos were among the 277 crew members on board the vessel when it struck the historic Brooklyn Bridge.
Federal authorities in New York have now launched an investigation into the fatal crash that killed two people and wounded 19.
Dramatic footage shows the vessel named the Cuauhtemoc, reversing before smashing into the New York City landmark.
Suddenly, its three masts struck the bridge and snapped one by one as the ship continued to move.
Onlookers are seen slowly backing away from the walking path by the river, before screaming and running to safety the moment the boat hit the bridge.
Officials have blamed “mechanical issues” amid speculation the ship’s engines may have been stuck in reverse.
At around 8:20pm local time, the captain was attempting to depart from New York’s Pier 17.
But disaster ensued as the ship’s masts smashed into the bridge, with them all breaking on impact and sending debris flying onto the vessel’s deck.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said the ship “lost power” and hit the bridge.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation.
Adams said in an update on X a few hours later: “Earlier tonight, the Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc lost power and crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
“At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries.”
More footage shows heavy traffic on the bridge at the time of the collision.
Sailors could be seen aloft in the rigging on the damaged masts but, unbelievably, no one fell into the water, officials said.
One witness, Elijah West, recalled seeing sailors falling from height off the boat sails.
He told the New York Post: “The boat was coming under the bridge, and there were sailors on top of the boat, the sails hit the bridge and then people were falling off of the boat sails.
“It was crazy. We were standing under the bridge and we all started running. Then I saw people hanging from the sails.
“Police boats came around fast – about five minutes later. And then police guided the boat to the [Manhattan] bridge and started the rescue. It was a shock.”
And 43-year-old Ismari Romero also described hearing bloodcurdling screams and cries as onlookers watched sailors – many of whom were cadets – dangling from the vessel.
He told the paper: “We were scared – a lot of people were screaming, a lot of people were crying.”
The Mexican navy said in a post on the social platform X that the Cuauhtemoc was an academy training vessel.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on X: “Our solidarity and support go out to their families.”
The Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883, has a nearly 490-meter main span supported by two masonry towers.
More than 100,000 vehicles and an estimated 32,000 pedestrians cross every day, according to the city’s transportation department.
Traffic was halted after the collision but was allowed to resume after an inspection, city officials said.
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.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 90.5 meters long and 12 meters wide, and according to the Mexican navy sailed for the first time in 1982.
The vessel’s main mast has a height of 48.9 meters, according to the Mexican government.
As midnight approached, the broken boat was moved slowly up the East River, going under and past the Manhattan Bridge, aided by a series of tugboats, before docking at a pier.
Onlookers continued to gather on the waterfront to watch the spectacle.
Each year the Cuauhtemoc sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
This year it left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on April 6, the navy said.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14264745/mexican-navy-ship-crashes-brooklyn-bridge/