On a sunny Friday afternoon in New Orleans, a tanker drifted into a riverboat tied up at its dock and set in motion a chain of events that left the American Heritage capsized in the Mississippi. Nearly two hundred people were aboard, and the accounting that followed, every one of them located and many of them carried to safety, became the detail that gave the day its meaning. The cause of the collision is still unexplained, and in the coming days investigators will try to reconstruct what happened in a river that has long carried both commerce and danger.
All 197 Aboard Accounted For After Tanker Strikes and Capsizes Docked Riverboat in New Orleans
197 people were aboard the riverboat; 32 were taken to local hospitals, one with serious injuries, and passengers were thrown into the river before being rescued.
Imagine a giant Coke can, and you crushing it.
Mark
Everyone aboard survived. Why does the governor call it a miracle?
Mimi
Because the boat fully capsized with 197 people on it, and people ended up in the river. Thirty-two went to hospitals, one seriously hurt, but everyone is accounted for.
Luke
Worth noting that's the officials' account at a news conference. The reporting gives us their numbers, not an independent count.
Mark
What saved people, as far as we know?
Mimi
Timing seems to matter. The boat had been docked two hours and was just starting to unload. Jamie Holford said most passengers had already gotten off when he arrived.
Luke
That's one eyewitness's impression, though. He didn't see the tanker hit, only the dock being rammed, so he can't say how many were still aboard.
Mark
And Leelah Hager's call?
Mimi
It shows how close it was. She was in the water in a life jacket with metal debris nearby, and she helped a friend who couldn't fasten one correctly.
Luke
That's her father's retelling of the call, which is fine, but it's secondhand.
Mark
Do we know why the tanker veered?
Mimi
No. Nor what it carried.
Luke
Right, and that's the central unknown. The NTSB team arrives Saturday; until then any explanation is speculation.
Le Pouls
- A tanker slammed into a docked riverboat about 40 yards from a witness who heard it like a crushed can.
- The American Heritage tilted, took on water, and rolled over while evacuation was still underway.
- Passengers and crew were thrown into a crowded river, some clinging to rails, others clutching life rings.
- Officials report all 197 people accounted for, with 32 hospitalized and one in serious condition.
- The NTSB is sending investigators to learn why the tanker lost control on a busy waterway.
On a sunny Friday afternoon in New Orleans, a tanker drifted into a riverboat tied up at its dock and set in motion a chain of events that left the American Heritage capsized in the Mississippi. Nearly two hundred people were aboard, and the accounting that followed, every one of them located and many of them carried to safety, became the detail that gave the day its meaning. The cause of the collision is still unexplained, and in the coming days investigators will try to reconstruct what happened in a river that has long carried both commerce and danger.
Around 12:30 on Friday afternoon, Jamie Holford was pulling into a parking lot near the New Orleans harbor when he heard a sound he likened to a giant Coke can being crushed. Forty yards away, a tanker had just rammed the dock where the riverboat American Heritage was tied up. Holford, a commercial kitchen installer who had come to survey the boat for a future job, watched the paddle wheeler take on water and begin to tilt. He helped pull a catwalk back onto the dock as the vessel drifted closer, and about ten minutes later it rolled over.
The boat had been docked for two hours and was just beginning to unload its 147 passengers and 50 crew members. Most passengers had already left, but people were thrown into the river. Videos showed some clinging to rails and others bobbing in orange rings as the boat turned over.
Wayne Hager III got a video call from his daughter, Leelah, 19, who worked in housekeeping aboard. She appeared submerged in the river in a bright orange life jacket, crying and scared, with metal debris around her before the call dropped. Later she called from land to say she was safe, and told him she had helped a friend stay afloat in the water.
Mayor Helena Moreno announced that everyone aboard had been accounted for, and 32 people were taken to local hospitals, one with serious injuries. Governor Jeff Landry called it a literal miracle on the Mississippi. The cause of the collision is still unknown, and the National Transportation Safety Board is expected at the scene Saturday to determine why the tanker lost control.
Around 12:30 p.m. Central time on Friday, Jamie Holford was pulling into the harbor parking lot in New Orleans when he heard a sound he compared to a giant Coke can being crushed. Holford, 42, installs commercial kitchen equipment. He had come with a coworker to board the riverboat American Heritage and survey it for a new kitchen job planned for about a month out. About 40 yards away, a tanker had just rammed the dock where the boat was tied up.
The tanker, identified by officials as the Atlantic Asphalt, veered into the side of the passenger vessel, one of the paddle wheel boats long associated with the Mississippi. A ship registry lists it at 525 feet. There were 197 people aboard the riverboat: 147 passengers and 50 crew members, according to a spokesperson for the city. The collision sent passengers and crew into the river, which is frequently crowded with tankers and cruise ships.
The riverboat had been docked for two hours outside 1350 Port of New Orleans Place and was just beginning to unload, said Kimberly Curth, a spokeswoman for the Port of New Orleans. According to the tracking site MarineTraffic, it had arrived from Natchez, Miss. Holford said most passengers seemed to have gotten off by the time he reached the docks. He saw the boat taking on water and tilting, and he helped push the catwalk back onto the dock when the boat drifted closer. About ten minutes later, he said, it began to roll over.
Mayor Helena Moreno said the evacuation was underway when the vessel began to sink, and that the cruise ship eventually toppled and flipped. Videos posted online showed people clinging to rails and screaming as it turned over, while others held orange inflatable rings and bobbed in the water.
Wayne Hager III described a video call from his daughter, Leelah Hager, 19, who worked in housekeeping aboard. She had texted him about the crash and then went silent, which worried him. When she called, he said, she appeared fully submerged in the river in a bright orange life jacket. She was crying and said she was scared, and he could see chunks of metal near her. The call dropped, and when he called back he heard only screams and yelling. She later called from land to say she was safe, and told him that in the water she had helped a friend stay afloat who had not managed to put on a life jacket correctly.
At a news conference, Moreno said everyone aboard was accounted for. A city spokesperson said 32 people were at local hospitals and one had serious injuries. Gov. Jeff Landry called the outcome a "literal miracle on the Mississippi." Capt. Melanie A. Burnham, commander of Coast Guard Sector New Orleans, praised the dedication, professionalism and bravery of the first responders.
Why the tanker lost control is not yet known, and officials did not say whether it was carrying cargo. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of investigators, expected at the scene on Saturday. The site lies just past the river bend that gives New Orleans the name Crescent City, near the French Quarter and the Crescent City Connection bridges. The weather was sunny, with temperatures in the mid-60s.
The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, is nearly 300 feet long with five decks, and is listed as able to hold up to 150 passengers. The crash recalls earlier river disasters: in 1976 a Norwegian tanker hit a ferry in Luling, La., about 20 miles west of New Orleans, killing 78 people, and in 1996 a 700-foot freighter struck a downtown riverfront mall packed with Christmas shoppers, injuring dozens but killing no one. The NTSB's findings on what sent the tanker into the dock are what to watch next.
Citations marquantes
It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi.— Gov. Jeff Landry of Louisiana
I want to recognize the dedication, professionalism and bravery of all those first responders.— Capt. Melanie A. Burnham, U.S. Coast Guard Sector New Orleans
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