WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • A tanker collided with American Heritage near New Orleans while the riverboat was carrying 129 passengers.
  • Mayor Helena Moreno said 32 people were hospitalized, but none had critical injuries.
  • All passengers were accounted for, and officials reported no fatalities following the evacuation.
  • President Donald Trump called Gov. Jeff Landry and offered Louisiana whatever support it needed.

Rescue operations were underway Friday afternoon near New Orleans after a tanker collided with a riverboat carrying 129 passengers on the Mississippi River. Officials said the passenger vessel was partially submerged as crews responded near the Louisiana port.

The collision triggered an evacuation and sent dozens to local hospitals, but the early accounting brought remarkably good news. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said all passengers had been accounted for and no fatalities had been reported.

Moreno said 32 people from the boat were being treated at local hospitals. None of those patients had critical injuries, a crucial detail as officials continued dealing with the aftermath of the collision.

Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said President Donald Trump called following the crash. According to Landry, Trump offered whatever support Louisiana needed, while the governor thanked the agencies participating in the rescue operations.

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Landry described the outcome in striking terms as officials confirmed the passengers were accounted for. “It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi,” Landry said.

The governor pointed to the number of people aboard and the work required to bring them to safety. “When you think about the population that was on that cruise ship, and the ability for us to get them off, get them out of the water.”

Landry also stressed the difficult setting facing those involved in the response. “The Mississippi River is not some quiet pond, right? I mean, there were challenges out there."

His remarks captured the relief surrounding an incident that could have produced a far grimmer result. Instead, officials reported that everyone aboard had been accounted for, with no deaths and no critical injuries among those hospitalized.

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American Cruise Lines operated the riverboat and confirmed the collision to News Nation. The company identified the vessel as American Heritage and said it was docked in New Orleans when the collision occurred.

“American Cruise Lines can confirm that our riverboat, American Heritage, was involved in a collision while it was docked in New Orleans,” a spokesperson for the company said. “We are in close coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities.”

The company also addressed the evacuation and its concern for those caught up in the incident. “Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved.”

The riverboat was transporting 129 passengers down the Mississippi River near the port of New Orleans. The cruise line’s statement said American Heritage was docked in the city when it was struck.

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American Heritage can carry as many as 150 passengers, according to the report. At the time of the collision, the riverboat was finishing an eight day cruise that included several Mississippi River destinations.

Those destinations were located in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the Associated Press. The collision came as the vessel was nearing the end of that cruise, turning the final portion of the trip into an emergency evacuation.

The tanker involved in the crash specializes in transporting large quantities of asphalt and bitumen. Bitumen is a partly solid substance that is often used in road construction and roofing.

It remained unclear whether the tanker was carrying asphalt, bitumen, or either material when the collision happened.

By Friday afternoon, rescue activity remained underway around the partially submerged riverboat. The central facts reported by officials remained encouraging: all passengers were accounted for, no fatalities were reported, and none of the 32 hospitalized people had critical injuries.

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