“A miracle” – No life-threatening injuries after cruise ship accident with 130 passengers

A freighter collided with a passenger ship near the port of New Orleans. There were over 130 passengers on the river cruise ship at the time of the incident, CNN reported, citing information from the port authority.

Several people are in the water. There were 15 civilians and two firefighters, a spokesman for the fire department told CNN. Everyone in the water appears to be fine. Two firefighters are also on the ship to evacuate people.

According to port officials, the tanker Atlantic Asphalt collided with the American Cruise Lines cruise ship American Heritage around 12:30 p.m. for unknown reasons while it was anchored in the Mississippi River.

Footage from the scene of the accident showed how the much larger tanker “Atlantic Asphalt” rammed the ship, which was apparently docked at a pier. In images from the broadcaster, passengers could be seen standing on the deck of the “American Heritage” while the overturned ship was already partly under the surface of the water.

People could also be seen in the water wearing life jackets and people on the railing as one side of the ship sank deeper into the water. Later photos show the cruise ship lying on its side and largely submerged in the water.

“According to the information we currently have, there are no missing persons, which is truly a miracle on the Mississippi,” said Mayor Helena Moreno. 32 passengers are currently being treated in hospitals, but no one has suffered life-threatening injuries.

Jeff Landry, Governor of the US state of Louisiana, announced on the X platform that he was on his way to New Orleans. “We are aware of the incident on the Mississippi River and are in close contact with local authorities and law enforcement.”

More soon.