[Image: Wikimedia]
A Mexican navy sailing ship on a global goodwill tour struck the Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday, snapping its three masts, killing three crew members and leaving some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air, waiting for help.
Parkgoers in Brooklyn Bridge Park could be seen on video running from the water’s edge as the crippled ship appeared to drift toward them.
“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,” one eyewitness told NYPost.
Three people were killed and 17 injured, including four critically, according to fire officials and sources.
In a scene captured in multiple eyewitness videos, the ship, called the Cuauhtemoc, could be seen travelling swiftly in reverse toward the bridge near the Brooklyn side of the East River. Then, its three masts struck the bridge’s span and snapped, one by one, as the ship kept moving.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge was spared major damage, but at least 19 people aboard the ship needed medical treatment.
