32 hospitalised after cruise ship capsizes in New Orleans

Detailed summary

A tanker ship collided with a luxury paddle wheeler docked in New Orleans on the Mississippi River in the US yesterday, causing the cruise vessel to roll over and sink.

A tanker ship collided with a luxury paddle wheeler docked in New Orleans on the Mississippi River in the US yesterday, causing the cruise vessel to roll over and sink as passengers scurried to disembark and dozens were flung into the water.

All aboard the stricken ship were accounted for after harbour personnel, firefighters and onlookers scrambled to pull fallen passengers to safety, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told a press conference.

Hailing the outcome as "a miracle on the Mississippi," she said 32 passengers from American ‌Cruise Lines paddle wheeler American Heritage ⁠were hospitalised, 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.

The incident occurred about midday when the ‌tanker ship, the Atlantic Asphalt, "lost control and collided" with the docked cruise vessel, Ms Moreno said.

As passengers began fleeing, the cruise ship started to sink and ⁠eventually "toppled over and flipped," dumping people into the river, the mayor said.

Harbour Police Chief Melanie ‌Montroll said about 87 passengers from the American Heritage disembarked before the vessel capsized, ⁠according to the ‌joint news site of the New Orleans Advocate and Times-Picayune.

Ms Moreno credited a swift response by local, state and federal personnel and bystanders from other vessels for preventing any loss of life.

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