Is the Brooklyn Bridge damaged after Mexican ship hit US landmark?

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York has reopened without any issues for ongoing traffic after a Mexican Navy ship with 277 passengers collided with the US landmark, leading to two deaths and several injuries.

A Mexican ship lost power and collided into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday(Getty Images via AFP)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on Sunday, confirmed that a preliminary inspection had revealed that the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge had not sustained any damage and was open to the public.

Also Read: Video shows shocking moment when Mexican Navy ship strikes New York’s Brooklyn Bridge

“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, as reported by the New York Post.

The New York Police Department said that traffic had increased across Brooklyn due to the collision.

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“Due to a collision investigation, avoid the area of Brooklyn Bridge, South Street Seaport in Manhattan, and Dumbo in Brooklyn. Expect heavy traffic and a large presence of emergency vehicles in the surrounding area,” New York Police Department said in a post on X.

What led to collision of ship?

At around 8.30 pm (local time) on Saturday, May 17, Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtémoc reportedly lost power and and its tall masts ran into the roadbed of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Also Read: Brooklyn Bridge-Mexican ship collision: Questions raised as videos show people on masts, ‘Why were they up there?’

At the time of the incident, there were two sailors on top of the 147-foot high masts, who tragically died. Out of the 277 people on board when the accident occurred, 22 were injured and 19 are receiving medical attention.

The 270-foot ship was in New York as part of a global annual tour, Hector Vasconcelos, Mexico’s representative to the United Nations, said before the incident.

The ship was scheduled to visit 22 ports in 15 countries including Jamaica, Cuba, Iceland and France, reported AP.