MEXICO CITY, May 20 (Xinhua) -- A New York pilot was in command of the Mexican Navy training ship Cuauhtemoc when its masts crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, killing two cadets and injuring more than 20 crew members, Mexico's Navy confirmed on Tuesday.
International procedures dictate that a specialized pilot be assigned by the local government to maneuver visiting ships transiting under the Brooklyn Bridge, Mexico's Navy Secretary Raymundo Pedro Morales said at a daily morning press conference.
"In particular, in New York, the ship has to be controlled by a specialized port pilot from the government of New York. The whole maneuver the ship made, from the time it left the dock until the collision, was under the control of the pilot," Morales said.
"Right now we cannot speculate whether the pilot used the means properly. What we can say is that he had little time to do so, because the distance from where the ship was docked to the bridge was very short," he said.
The training ship, which was preparing to set sail for Iceland, was on a training mission with over 180 people on board, he added.
"The United States Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard (and) the insurance adjusters are going to determine what the causes were and what the responsibilities are" for the accident, said Morales, who estimated it will take some 30 days to prepare a preliminary report.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum paid tribute to the fatal victims, highlighting their academic and military achievements.
"Our love and solidarity goes out to their families" and "of course to the Mexican Navy," the president said. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号