Harrowing footage shows Mexican sailors clinging to rigging for dear life after Brooklyn Bridge crash

Harrowing video shows Mexican sailors clinging to the rigging of the tall ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night — after dozens of crew members were seen standing on the masts of the vessel as it careened out of control.Two sailors were killed and 17 were injured after the ship, Mexican navy training vessel collided with iconic bridge just before 8:30 p.m.Saturday night.Video taken at the moment of the crash shows dozens of sailors lined up on the 147-foot masts as it set off on its journey for Iceland with 277 on board following a goodwill visit to New York City.

Footage filmed from the Brooklyn side of the East River shows the Cuauhtémoc’s three masts hitting the bridge and snapping after an apparent mechanical failure, sending it drifting in reverse downstream.Other eyewitness video shows sailors hanging from the rigging ropes on the damaged masts.“We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for at least 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them,” eyewitness Lily Katz told The Associated Press.Emergency diving crews were sent in to check the water as a precaution, but remarkably, no one fell in, officials said.The sound when the masts hit the bridge sounded like the loud snapping of a “big twig,” said Nick Corso, who had his phone out to capture the boat as it passed under the bridge.Those around him began running as “pandemonium” broke out on board the ship, and he saw sailors dangling from a mast, he said.“I didn’t know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?” he added.The most critically injured sailors were up on the mast of the ship at the time of the crash, officials said.The injured were taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, Mayor Eric Adams said.“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped...