BREAKING: Mexican navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge

A tall ship under the flag of the Mexican navy slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday evening, killing two crew members and leaving 22 injured. Of those 22, 11 crew members are in critical condition. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash. Police say the ship lost power just before the crash.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted about the crash, saying "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."

"We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse. Following our preliminary inspection, we can confirm that the bridge sustained no damage and is now open to the public," Adams said in a follow up post.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbau, also lamented the loss of life and thanking Adams for his support.

As the ship attempted to pass under the bridge, the masts crumbled and toppled, sending people into the water and injuring multiple members of the 277-person crew, per the NY Post. 

Search and rescue operations are underway after the ship failed to clear the span. Video taken by bystanders on the shore watching the ship go down the East River shows the shocking scene.

The masts on the Cuauhtémoc, builtin Spain in 1982, were 147-feet tall ahead of the collision, just before 9 pm. It's journey down the river was "part of a promotion for next year’s Sail4th tall ship event" which is part of the 250th anniversary celebration. There are 30 Class A International Tall Ships that are set to be in New York Harbor for the July 4th festivities in 2026.

Footage shows the mayhem as the ship's masts are unable to clear the bridge. People on shore went running away from it as the masts fell.

Traffic proceeded across the bridge as the ship crashed into the roadway.

Multiple emergency vehicles responded to the scene.

After its stop in New York, the ship was meant to sail on to Iceland. It was not supposed to sail beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and when it left Manhattan's Pier 17, it went the wrong direction. It was docked below it.

During a press conference, authorities said that the pilot of the ship "who was assigned to navigate the Cuauhtémoc out of the channel experienced "mechanical issues,'" The New York Times reports.