A tanker collided with a docked river cruise boat carrying about 129 passengers and crew members in New Orleans on Friday, leaving the vessel partially submerged and triggering a major rescue operation on the Mississippi River.
The Atlantic Asphalt struck American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage at about 12.30pm local time near 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, according to port officials. The cruise boat was understood to have arrived roughly two hours earlier and was beginning to disembark passengers.
Emergency crews rescued multiple people from the scene, while passengers were taken into the Port of New Orleans Administration Building. More than a dozen people were reportedly transported to local hospitals.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said search-and-rescue efforts were continuing. City officials issued an alert asking anyone seeking information about people potentially missing after the collision to call 504-539-3266, or 311 from within New Orleans.
American Cruise Lines confirmed that guests and crew had been evacuated and said it was working with the US Coast Guard and local authorities.
“Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved,” the company said in a statement.
The American Heritage, a paddlewheel-style riverboat, was seen lying on its side after the impact, with part of the vessel below the waterline.
The Coast Guard said it was responding with local agencies near mile marker 96. The stretch of the Mississippi River between mile markers 93 and 96 was closed to vessel traffic while emergency teams assessed the scene and carried out rescue operations.
Louisiana governor Jeff Landry said he had been briefed on the incident and was travelling to New Orleans.
The number of people injured or missing remained unclear, and officials had not established what caused the tanker to collide with the cruise boat. The response operation and investigation were continuing on Friday afternoon.
