Oil tanker crashes into cruise ship with 129 people on board in Mississippi River

An oil tanker collided this Friday with a river cruise ship with more than 129 passengers on board in the Mississippi River, near the port of the city of New Orleans.

Specifically, the oil tanker 'Atlantic Asphalt' collided with the cruise ship 'American Heritage', of the American Cruise Lines company, when this vessel was docked in the Mississippi River, the authorities of the Port of New Orleans have reported.

Port authorities have confirmed to local channel WAFB that 129 people were on board the ferry, not counting the crew. The governor of the state of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, has been informed of what happened and is immediately heading to the scene.

As can be seen in the images shown by local channels, the huge tanker rammed into the docked cruise ship, causing it to lean to one side and become partially submerged.

The Port of New Orleans Police, the New Orleans Fire Department, the New Orleans Police Department, the United States Coast Guard and emergency medical personnel have responded to the scene of the event, the causes of which are already under investigation, CNN reports.