“Miracle on the Mississippi”: Everyone Rescued After U.S. Ship Collision
Caalamka
A routine day on the Mississippi River turned chaotic in New Orleans yesterday when a tanker ship slammed into a docked luxury paddle wheeler, sending the cruise vessel rolling over and sinking and forcing passengers to scramble for safety as dozens were tossed into the water.
Despite the dramatic scenes, everyone aboard the stricken ship was accounted for after harbour personnel, firefighters and onlookers rushed to pull people from the river, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a press conference.
Calling it “a miracle on the Mississippi,” Ms Moreno said 32 passengers from American Cruise Lines’ paddle wheeler American Heritage were taken to hospital, but “none with any type of critical injuries”.
Ms Moreno said roughly 180 to 190 passengers and crew members were aboard the American Heritage at the time of the incident.
The cruise ship has a capacity for 150 passengers and was built in 2015, American Cruise Lines said on its website.
A tugboat stabilises the paddle wheeler after it capsized following the collision with the tanker
The crash happened around midday when the tanker ship, the Atlantic Asphalt, “lost control and collided” with the docked cruise vessel, Ms Moreno said.
As travellers tried to get off the boat, the American Heritage began taking on water and eventually “toppled over and flipped,” spilling passengers into the river, the mayor said.
Harbour Police Chief Melanie Montroll said about 87 passengers from the American Heritage managed to disembark before the vessel capsized, according to the joint news site of the New Orleans Advocate and Times-Picayune.
Ms Moreno said the rapid mobilisation of local, state and federal responders — along with bystanders on other vessels — was crucial in avoiding fatalities.
The US Coast Guard said in an emailed statement that it closed all river traffic in the area after the collision.
Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham told the New Orleans Advocate that the tanker appeared to have suffered some kind of steering failure, though investigators had not yet determined the cause.
American Cruise Lines said in an emailed statement that it was working with the Coast Guard and local authorities.
“Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved,” the company said.
