On a bright Friday afternoon in late autumn, a river that has carried commerce and celebration through New Orleans for centuries briefly turned against those who had come to see it. A forty-year-old paddlewheel cruise boat, tied up at the end of an eight-day journey, was struck by a far larger tanker, and in the minutes that followed the vessel listed, sank and rolled over, leaving more than a dozen people in the brown water before rescuers reached them. That all 129 passengers were accounted for, and that 32 were taken to hospital without critical injuries, is the quiet mercy at the center of
32 Hospitalized After Tanker Strikes and Partially Sinks River Cruise Boat on Mississippi in New Orleans
32 passengers were taken to local hospitals, none with critical injuries, and more than a dozen people in life jackets were pulled from the river.
Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.
Mark
Thirty-two people in hospital sounds like a lot, but the mayor said nobody is critical. How should we read that?
Mimi
As genuinely good news in a bad situation. The boat flipped with people in the water, yet all 129 passengers are accounted for and none of the hospitalized are critically hurt.
Luke
Worth noting that's the mayor's account from a Friday evening news conference. Injury counts in a fast-moving event can change, and we don't know yet what the 32 were treated for.
Mark
The timing seems important. The boat had already docked.
Mimi
Yes. It had been tied up about two hours and passengers were getting off. That's why the tanker's approach mattered so much: people were moving around, not seated or settled.
Luke
Careful, though. The mayor said the tanker lost control. That's her description. Why it lost control, whether it was mechanical, human error or the current, nobody has said.
Mark
Holford said fifteen minutes passed from impact to rollover. Does that matter?
Mimi
It suggests a window in which people could get off or be pulled out. More than a dozen in life jackets were taken from the water onto nearby ships.
Luke
That's one witness's estimate of time, given to local television. It's vivid, but I wouldn't treat it as a measured timeline.
Mark
And the tanker's cargo?
Luke
Unknown. The reporting says so directly, and it's a real gap until officials clarify.
Der Puls
- A 160-metre asphalt tanker slammed into a docked paddlewheel cruise boat on the Mississippi at about 12:30pm, and the vessel began to sink almost immediately.
- The American Heritage listed, then flipped, pitching passengers into the 19-degree river as they were still stepping off after an eight-day cruise.
- Port police, fire crews, the coastguard and medics raced to pull more than a dozen people in life jackets from the water and onto nearby ships.
- A triage station was set up inside the port administration building while the river was shut to all vessel traffic.
- Thirty-two people are in local hospitals with no critical injuries, but the cause of the crash and whether the tanker carried cargo remain unknown, and investigators are expected to move in.
On a bright Friday afternoon in late autumn, a river that has carried commerce and celebration through New Orleans for centuries briefly turned against those who had come to see it. A forty-year-old paddlewheel cruise boat, tied up at the end of an eight-day journey, was struck by a far larger tanker, and in the minutes that followed the vessel listed, sank and rolled over, leaving more than a dozen people in the brown water before rescuers reached them. That all 129 passengers were accounted for, and that 32 were taken to hospital without critical injuries, is the quiet mercy at the center of an otherwise unsettling event. Why the tanker lost control remains a question the river has not yet answered.
The American Heritage had been tied up at the dock in New Orleans for about two hours when the tanker came. Passengers were already stepping off at the end of an eight-day cruise through Louisiana and Mississippi, carrying the last of their luggage and their photographs. At about 12:30pm on Friday, the Atlantic Asphalt, a vessel many times the cruise boat's size, struck the paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River, according to the Port of New Orleans.
Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters that all 129 passengers had been accounted for, and that 32 had gone to local hospitals, none with critical injuries. She said the tanker lost control and hit the boat. As people were disembarking, the American Heritage began to sink, then toppled over, throwing people into the water.
Video from the scene showed metal and glass crashing together. More than a dozen people in life jackets were hauled from the river onto nearby ships, while others clung to the railing as the boat tilted deeper. One witness, Jamie Holford, told local television that it was surreal, and that fifteen minutes passed from impact to the moment the boat rolled.
Port police, firefighters, the coastguard and medical crews responded quickly. A triage area was opened in the port's administration building, and the river was closed to vessel traffic. American Cruise Lines, which operates the boat, said guests and crew had been evacuated and expressed deep concern for everyone involved.
The tanker, which flies the Marshall Islands flag and specialises in asphalt and bitumen, was bound for New Orleans. What caused the collision, and whether the tanker was carrying cargo, are still unknown. Those answers, along with the reopening of the river and the recovery of the partly submerged boat, are what comes next.
The American Heritage had been tied up at the dock in New Orleans for about two hours when the tanker hit it. Passengers had begun to step off at the end of an eight-day cruise through Louisiana and Mississippi. At about 12:30pm local time on Friday (18:30 GMT), the Atlantic Asphalt, a far larger vessel, struck the paddlewheel boat on the Mississippi River, according to the Port of New Orleans.
There were 129 passengers on board. Mayor Helena Moreno told a news conference on Friday evening that all of them had been accounted for and that 32 were in local hospitals, none with critical injuries. She said the tanker lost control and collided with the cruise ship. As people were disembarking, she said, the boat began to sink, then toppled over and flipped, sending people into the water.
Video from the scene, described by The Associated Press, showed the tanker hitting the cruise boat as metal and glass crashed and crunched. More than a dozen people in life jackets were pulled from the river and onto nearby ships. The water was 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit). Others stood near the railing as the boat listed deeper into the water.
One witness, Jamie Holford, told local television: "Surreal, that's what that was." He said it took fifteen minutes from impact to the moment the boat rolled over.
Port police, the fire department, the coastguard and emergency medical staff responded. A triage area was set up inside the port's administration building, and the river was closed to vessel traffic.
American Cruise Lines, which operates the boat, said guests and crew had been evacuated and that it was "deeply concerned for everyone involved." The American Heritage, built in 2015, has five decks and holds up to 150 passengers.
The tanker is 160 metres (520 feet) long and flies the flag of the Marshall Islands, according to the MarineTraffic tracker. It was bound for New Orleans. The maritime periodical Marine Insights says it specialises in carrying asphalt and bitumen.
What caused the collision remains unknown, as does whether the tanker was carrying cargo. Those questions, along with the condition of the river closure and the recovery of the partly submerged boat, are what to watch next.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The tanker lost control and collided into the cruise ship.— New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno
Surreal, that's what that was.— Jamie Holford, witness
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