American Senator Chuck Schumer said Sunday that the Mexican school ship Cuauhtémoc, injured yesterday in New York, He was not receiving assistance from a tugboat even though bad maritime conditions required.
The leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate disclosed in a press conference that at the time of the ship’s collision against the Brooklyn bridge “The tides and the wind moved upstream, which required the ship to use its organic energy or the assistance of a tugboat. “
“The ship did not use the assistance of a tug. There is a tugboat that helps to go out to the ship (after releasing mooring), especially on a sailboat “, The New York senator affirmed, who said he received reports from the authorities involved in assistance and research.
The politician said that in the accident videos recorded by witnesses A tug of the coast guard is seen near the ship, But he pointed out that he was trying to reach the Mexican ship once this was drifting in the wrong direction, towards the bridge.
The US and Mexican authorities are collaborating in the investigation of the accident, in which two crew members died between twenty injured, that have mostly been discharged this Sunday, according to consular sources to Efe.
He also said, after preliminary reviews determined that there are no structural damage to the bridge, that a “monitoring system” has been damaged that the monument is under the roads through which vehicle traffic goes.
Schumer suggested that Donald Trump’s government cuts In the Coast Guard staff they are affecting the control of maritime traffic, And he pointed out that the position of commander of that agency is vacant after the dismissal of Linda Fagan at the beginning of the president’s mandate.
“In addition, the current freezing of contracting in the Department of National Security, of which the Coast Guard is part of, There may have limited the capacity (…) to have a complete staff In the ship traffic service “in charge of maritime control, he added.
Before the appearance, the Coast Guard issued a statement in which he explained that the site of school, called Cuauhtémoc, is tied at spring 36 of the East River “While damage and actions for the recovery of the ship are determined.”
The authority has established a 50 -yard security zone around the ship, And he has ordered that other ships that travel the area do so with a reduced speed.