Probe as Mexican navy ship fatally strikes Brooklyn Bridge

The family of Mexican Navy Cadet América Yamilet Sánchez, age 20, on Sunday held a memorial at her home in Veracruz, calling on officials to investigate her death. Sánchez and fellow sailor Adal Jair Maldonado Marcos, 23, died Saturday night when the Cuauhtémoc, a training vessel, struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge, breaking its tall mast. At least 19 of the 277 crew on board were injured in the accident, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Two were in critical condition on Sunday, he said.

The ship visited New York City’s South Street Seaport as part of a global goodwill tour and was departing the harbor at the time of the accident. The Cuauhtémoc’s tallest mast is nearly 160 feet tall, about 30 feet higher than the clearance at the center of the Brooklyn Bridge, which does not have a drawbridge. The Mexican Navy paused the ship’s voyage due to damage sustained in the accident.

What caused the accident? Mayor Adams initially said the ship lost power while exiting the port before it drifted into the bridge. Authorities on Monday had not determined an official cause of the incident. Tracking data and eyewitnesses indicated that a tugboat tried to overtake the vessel which drifted off course after backing into the channel, according to the Associated Press. Mechanical issues likely contributed to the incident, according to New York Police Department Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles. Authorities also said a strong current could have played a role in the ship’s movement.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday suggested that the Trump administration had hindered staffing in the Coast Guard, limiting the guard’s ability to direct traffic on the river. But the Department of Homeland Security disputed the claim, said the coast guard was exempt from hiring freezes, and clarified that the incident had nothing to do with Vessel Traffic Services. The National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to hold a briefing on the incident Monday afternoon.

Dig deeper: Read my report about the NTSB suggesting 68 bridges be studied for safety.