A tanker struck a river cruise on the Mississippi River near the Port of New Orleans Friday, leaving The American Heritage passenger boat on its side and largely submerged in the water. Rescues were underway, officials say.
Video from the scene showed the much larger tanker, identified as the Atlantic Asphalt, crash into the paddlewheel cruise boat while it appeared to be docked.Â
The cruise boat may have had up to 129 people on board, CBS affiliate WWL-TV reported, but some witnesses said a number of passengers had already disembarked before the crash, which happened shortly after noon local time.
Some people were seen in the water in life jackets or standing near the railing as the other side of the ship listed further into the water. Nearby boats reported rescuing more than a dozen people from the water.
“We are aware of the incident on the Mississippi and we are in close contact with local officials and law enforcement. I am headed to New Orleans now,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said.Â
One witness, Jamie Holford, told CBS News he saw The American Heritage hit the dock after the collision. He described seeing people hurrying off the boat. Then as it rolled over, some were climbing over the railings of the boat, he said.
“It looked like something off the Titanic,” he said.
Asked what the collision sounded like, Holford said, “It sounded like a war movie. Just imagine tons of steel crunching. That’s what it sounded like.”
The American Heritage was built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines. It is five stories and can hold up to 150 passengers.
The tanker involved in the crash specializes in carrying large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, a semi-solid substance that is often used for road construction and roofing, according to the live shipping tracker MarineTraffic.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
