All rescued after Mississippi river cruise ship hit by tanker

NEW ORLEANS - The mayor of New Orleans called it a "miracle on the Mississippi" that everyone survived a midday collision between a tanker and a cruise ship carrying 129 passengers, which was docked at the Port of New Orleans.

The American Cruise Lines ship, American Heritage, was seen in videos on social media capsizing into the Mississippi River after the strike around 12:30 p.m. local time, with the tanker towering behind it. Some passengers were spotted in the water near the vessel, according to local media reports.

Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters that after search-and-rescue efforts, 32 individuals had been taken to local hospitals, none with serious injuries. No fatalities had been reported, and no one had been unaccounted, she said, "which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi."

"That is a credit to all of the first responders, local, state, federal, who literally jumped right in to help," Moreno said.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, speaking to reporters later Friday, said he had "never been prouder of a group of people than those people that came off of that boat."

Emergency response following crash in New Orleans

The Port of New Orleans told Newsweek that the Atlantic Asphalt tanker had collided with the cruise ship around two hours after it had docked for disembarkation. After the strike, the cruise ship began to take on water, officials said, before starting to capsize.

Port NOLA Harbor Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel were on the scene, per the port's spokesperson.

Photos and video from the scene showed first responders in the water along with some passengers wearing life jackets. The U.S. Coast Guard told Newsweek that it was coordinating with local response partners.

"The river is closed to all vessel traffic between mile markers 93 and 96 while responders assess the situation and conduct response operations," a spokesperson said. "This is a developing situation. Additional information will be released as it becomes available."

According to vessel tracking services, the tanker involved in the incident was flagged out of the Marshall Islands and had left Paulsboro Port in New Jersey on October 26 before arriving in New Orleans Tuesday.

Newsweek reached out the New Orleans Fire Department and New Orleans Police Department for further comment Friday afternoon. It was not immediately clear who owned the tanker.

Investigations were underway into how the crash occurred, with officials saying they believed the tanker experienced a loss of steering.

Where did the crash occur?

The U.S. Coast Guard told Newsweek the collision happened near mile marker 96 on the Mississippi River. The port's spokesperson said this was near 1350 Port of New Orleans Place.

Officials said at a press conference that work was underway to get the river back open again as soon as possible. (Source: Newsweek)