A cadet who was killed when a Mexican navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge in New York has been pictured for the first time.
América Yamilet Sánchez, 20, has been named as one of the two people killed when the 300-foot (90-metre) Cuauhtemoc struck the bridge, toppling the vessel’s three masts like dominoes as it drifted towards a crowded pier.
A further 19 people were injured during the crash, with navy cadets seen clinging to the ship's crossbeams in the aftermath of the collision on Saturday evening.
Mexican authorities told the family of America Yamilet Sanchez that the young sailor died after falling from one of the Cuauhtemoc's masts, her aunt Maria del Rosario Hernandez Jacome explained at the family's home in Xalapa in the Mexican state of Veracruz.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Sanchez, who was studying engineering at the Mexican naval academy, had spoken with her mother and excitedly told her that the ship's next stop would be Iceland.
The cadet had posted a photo of herself on Facebook just hours before the crash, with what appears to be the Cuauhtemoc in the background, alongside the caption “NY” with a heart emoji.
Her parents travelled to Mexico City on Sunday to arrange for the return of their daughter's body, Hernandez said.
Relatives and friends arrived at the family's home carrying flowers. A small altar was set up on the patio with a photograph of Sanchez and candles.
It's unknown what caused the collision, and an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is likely to take months.
But footage of the collision shot by horrified onlookers shows the ship hurtling into the bridge in reverse at full speed, suggesting the captain lost control of the engine.
There are also questions about whether a tugboat escort peeled away too soon and should have been rigged to the ship or stayed with it until it headed out to sea.
Similar tugboat concerns emerged when a large cargo vessel crashed into a bridge in Baltimore last year.
The Cuauhtemoc visited New York as part of a 15-nation global goodwill tour and was departing when it struck the bridge at around 8.20pm, briefly halting traffic atop the span.
Mayor Eric Adams said the 142-year-old bridge escaped major damage, but at least 19 of the 277 sailors aboard the ship needed medical treatment.
The Cuauhtemoc sailed for the first time in 1982. It is almost 300 feet long and its main mast has a height of 160 feet (50 meters), about 30 feet (9 meters) higher than the span of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The vessel, which arrived in New York on May 13, backed out from the tourist-heavy South Street Seaport, where it had been docked for several days, welcoming visitors.
It's unknown if the Mexican captain requested a dock pilot to assist with the unmooring, but a harbour pilot was on board to sail it through the harbour, as required.
Tracking data from Marine Traffic and eyewitness videos show that a 1,800-horsepower tugboat, the Charles D. McAllister, gently nudged the vessel as it backed astern into the channel but dropped off before the vessel turned.
Seconds later, as the ship continued drifting in the wrong direction, the tugboat tried to overtake the vessel but arrived too late to wedge itself between the fast-moving ship and the Brooklyn riverbank.
McAllister Towing, the company that would have operated the tug and been responsible for any docking pilot aboard, declined to comment.
On Sunday, the damaged ship was moored at Pier 35 in lower Manhattan. A stream of people, including those who appeared to be investigators and crew, could be seeing getting on and off the vessel.
The Coast Guard said damage to the Cuauhtemoc was being assessed. The Coast Guard established a 50-yard (46-metre) safety zone around the ship as the investigation by both the US and Mexican governments got underway.
