Radio calls for help began 45 seconds before Mexican training ship hit Brooklyn Bridge: officials

Radio calls sent to tugboats for help began 45 seconds before the Mexican Navy training ship this past weekend hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, according to federal officials. 

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Brian Young said Monday that the ship separated from the tugboat and picked up speed, while still moving in reverse, as it headed toward the bridge. About four minutes after the ship left the pier, a radio call went out asking for help from any additional tugboats in the area. However, officials didn't clarify who made the initial radio call.

The ship struck the bridge 45 seconds after the call, snapping its three masts.

At the time of the crash, the ship had reached 6 knots, or nearly 7 mph. The ship passed under the bridge following the crash, and came to a stop at around 8:27 p.m., after it bumped against a pier.

NTSB officials have yet to be granted permission to board the ship and have not interviewed the ship's captain or the tugboat and harbor pilots who assisted the vessel as it attempted to leave New York City for Iceland.

“This is a start of a long process. We will not be drawing any conclusions. We will not speculate,” NTSB Board Member Michael Graham said. The investigation could take months to be fully completed, according to officials.

Two Mexican naval cadets were killed after the tall ship, called the Cuauhtemoc, hit the bridge, and 19 people were injured. There were 277 people on the ship.