Tanker strikes docked cruise riverboat in New Orleans; 32 hospitalized, all aboard accounted for

A tanker slammed into a docked passenger riverboat in New Orleans on Friday, and the cruise vessel later capsized in the Mississippi. Officials said every person who had been aboard was accounted for, 6abc Action News reported.

New Orleans officials told 6abc that close to 200 people were on the American Heritage when the tanker Atlantic Asphalt hit it. Thirty cruise passengers were taken to hospitals, along with two officers who had ended up in the river. Officials described their injuries as non-critical and said no children were involved.

CBS Philadelphia reported that a large rescue effort followed and that the riverboat came to rest on its side, mostly underwater.

According to the Port of New Orleans, as cited by 6abc, the crash occurred at about 12:30 p.m. local time. The riverboat had tied up roughly two hours before that so guests could start getting off. Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters the tanker lost control before striking the vessel. She said people were still exiting when the riverboat began going down, then rolled over, leaving some in the water.

Officers assisted with the evacuation, though some passengers were still aboard when it tipped, 6abc reported. Those people were pulled onto a number of boats, and officials said search and rescue work has concluded. Moreno praised responders from every level of government as well as volunteers, describing the result as a "miracle on the Mississippi," according to 6abc.

Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the tanker seemed to have suffered "some type of a loss of steering," 6abc reported, adding that why this happened is still unknown. She said the riverboat sustained major damage and only a sliver of it stays above the surface. The Coast Guard has opened an investigation, and the National Transportation Safety Board said its investigators should be on site by Saturday morning.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry pledged that officials would find out the cause and adopt whatever changes are needed so travelers on the river can feel safe, 6abc reported.

A restaurant manager on the American Heritage told ABC News he first felt a jolt and believed the captain was repositioning the boat. He said part of the tanker's hull broke through into the dining area. He added that crew members, who he said practice emergency drills each week, kept calm and helped scared guests get out.

In a statement reported by 6abc, operator American Cruise Lines thanked the Coast Guard, its staff and local emergency crews, and said it was arranging hotel rooms for everyone who had been aboard.

Fire, police and Coast Guard units were among those that responded. The Coast Guard halted boat traffic on the stretch of river from mile marker 93 to mile marker 96 and said it will decide how to reopen that section.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/1052