NTSB probers Monday said they are investigating a tugboat’s imaginable domiciled successful a Mexican ship’s crash into nan Brooklyn Bridge — while adding they person yet to committee nan overseas craft, overmuch little talk to its crew.
“Part of our investigation will beryllium to look into procedures” involving tug boats successful nan harbor, agency interrogator Brian Young told reporters astatine nan first National Transportation Safety Board briefing since nan Saturday nighttime collision that killed 2 young Mexican sailors.
A section tugboat had been helping to guideline nan Mexican vessel retired of larboard earlier nan gangly vessel headed to Iceland.
Questions person arisen complete whether nan tug whitethorn person excessively quickly released nan ship, erstwhile past barreled successful reverse into nan span.
Young and NTSB committee personnel Michael Graham cautioned that nan investigation is preliminary, noting that nan agency is still negotiating pinch nan Mexican authorities to get entree to nan vessel and nan cadets who stay connected board.
Dozens of nan sailors person already near for home.
“Still moving to get entree to nan ship,” Graham said astatine nan briefing. “We haven’t yet had a chance to entree nan engine.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk to immoderate of nan unit astatine this point. We are moving pinch our counterparts successful nan Mexican authorities to summation entree to nan ship.”
Young elaborate nan last minutes earlier nan Cuauhtemoc, a three-mast training vessel for Mexican navy cadets, allegedly mislaid its steering expertise and struck nan historical span — demonstrating really quickly things turned deadly.
Here is nan latest connected nan Brooklyn Bridge clang involving a Mexican navy gangly ship
- Harrowing footage shows Mexican sailors clinging to rigging for beloved life aft Brooklyn Bridge crash
- Mexican navy gangly vessel mislaid powerfulness earlier Brooklyn Bridge clang that killed 2, injured 17: NYPD
- Night of joyousness for pals of Mexican navy vessel unit turns into calamity arsenic alloy strikes Brooklyn Bridge: ‘We were very scared’
- Here’s why Mexican navy gangly vessel that struck Brooklyn Bridge — sidesplitting astatine slightest 2 — was successful NYC
- Mexican navy cadet América Yamilet Sánchez, 20, ID’d arsenic first unfortunate successful Brooklyn Bridge crash
“At 8:24 p.m., a [voyage information recorder] power broadcast was sounded requesting assistance from different tugboats successful nan area of nan Brooklyn Bridge,” Young said.
“That was followed by 2 different requests for assistance, and astatine 8:24 and 45 seconds, nan vessel’s mast struck nan underside of nan Brooklyn Bridge. At 8:27, nan alloy came to a stop.”
He said NYPD and FDNY boats were astatine nan segment by 8:30 p.m.
Shocking footage captured nan collision and showed cadets clinging to nan rigging astir nan showboat ship’s nan 147-foot masts.
In summation to nan 2 fatalities, much than 20 others connected nan vessel were injured.
Sources person told The Post that nan ship, built successful Spain successful 1982, was connected its measurement to nan Brooklyn waterfront to refuel earlier mounting waste to Iceland — but suffered a mechanical nonaccomplishment that unopen down its steering.
The calamity costs Mexican cadets America Yamilet Sanchez and Adal Jair Marcos their lives.
Sanchez, a onetime award-winning swimmer from nan Veracruz superior of Xalapa, posted a haunting photograph from nan Big Apple waterfront connected Facebook earlier connected Saturday.
Marcos, known to friends arsenic “Tyson” aliases simply “Marcos,” had been connected committee nan Cuauhtemoc for 9 months and boasted to friends astir his travels astir nan globe.
The 2 were among 277 unit members connected committee – 213 men and 64 women, astir of them cadets from nan Heroica Escuala Naval Militar, nan Mexican navy’s serviceman training academy successful Veracruz.
The vessel was taking portion successful a training cruise to people nan alleged “Bicentennial of nan Consolidation of nan Independence of nan Seas,” nan 200th day of nan Mexican navy expelling Spain from their nation.
It group sail from Cozumel successful nan Yucatan Peninsula connected May 4 connected a170-day voyage that was to return nan unit to 22 ports successful 15 countries.
The vessel was besides slated to beryllium portion of nan Class A International Tall Ships parade nan is owed to parade successful nan harbor connected July 4, 2026, though organizers said Mexican officials had yet to corroborate their involvement.
During ceremonies connected committee past week astatine nan South Street Seaport, dozens of nan cadets mounted nan masts for a show known arsenic “manning nan yards” – a cosmopolitan motion of respect traditionally done arsenic a alloy enters a caller port.