Officials reveal what actually caused the Mexican navy ship to crash into Brooklyn Bridge

Two people have died and another 19 have been injured after a Mexican navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday (17th May), and officials have now revealed what caused the accident.

The training ship, called the Cuauhtémoc, was doing a promotional tour in New York City with 277 people on board when it steered off course and collided with the 278-foot bridge at around 8:30pm local time.

At a press conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed that the ship lost power due to a mechanical issue, which meant the captain no longer had steering control, NBC reports. It does not appear to have caused a complete power cut, as the lights remained on.

“The pilot lost power of the ship,” he said. In a statement on X later that night, the mayor then added: “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,” he continued. The Mayor confirmed that the bridge “sustained no damage” and is now open to the public.

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. pic.twitter.com/mlaCX0X8Mh

— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2025

The exact mechanical issue that caused the ship to lose power is still being investigated, and the National Transportation Safety told AP News it could take months to find out what actually happened.

It set off from the Mexican port of Acapulco on 6th April and was stopping at various locations including New York and Aberdeen, Scotland, before continuing to its final destination, Iceland.

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Witness Kelvin Flores was at work in the area when he saw the crash. He told the BBC he walked onto the street to find loads of “commotion and a lot of chaos” with fire engines and police unable to reach the scene due to the traffic.

“Just seeing the actual damage was insane,” he said. “People carrying stretchers… they were trying to get the injured out.”

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Featured image by: Xinhua/Shutterstock