In brief

• A tanker hit the docked American Heritage cruise ship on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, and the ship capsized.
• Around 180 to 190 people were on board, and 32 were taken to hospital with no life-threatening injuries.
• Traffic on the river near the site has been halted while the cause of the collision is examined.

Collision at the riverfront

The collision took place on Friday, November 13, shortly after noon local time. The tanker Atlantic Asphalt hit the American Heritage, a river cruise ship run by American Cruise Lines, which had been tied up at the bank for roughly two hours (Tankowiec staranował statek pasażerski. Władze mówią o "cudzie" – Polsat News) (Zderzenie statków w USA. Jest nagranie z wypadku – Wirtualna Polska). Passengers were leaving the vessel when the impact came.

After the strike the cruise ship began taking on water and listing. As people tried to get clear, the hull kept sinking until it rolled over, tossing people into the river (Tankowiec uderzył w statek wycieczkowy. Już mówią o „cudzie na Missisipi” – RMF24). Footage circulating online shows the tanker striking the ship while it was moored.

Rescue effort

Port workers, firefighters and bystanders pulled people from the water, Mayor Helena Moreno told a news conference. Authorities evacuated about 87 people before the ship capsized. Every emergency agency responded to the scene, Lt. Stephanie Norwood of New Orleans EMS said (Zderzenie tankowca z wycieczkowcem na rzece Missisipi – RMF24).

Moreno said 32 people were taken to hospital, none with life-threatening injuries, and no deaths were reported (Tankowiec uderzył w wycieczkowiec na Missisipi. Nowe informacje o akcji ratunkowej – Onet). Preliminary reports suggest the tanker may have had steering problems, though officials have not confirmed this.

Key figures

• People on board, passengers and crew: about 180 to 190
• Evacuated before capsizing: about 87
• Taken to hospital: 32
• Passenger capacity of the vessel: 150

What comes next

Traffic on the Mississippi near the accident site has been halted. The cause of the collision remains under review, and the steering-problem report has not been verified by officials.