Everyone accounted for after tanker collides with a New Orleans riverboat

A large tanker ship struck a riverboat with more than 100 passengers in New Orleans on Friday, capsizing the cruise vessel and prompting a major rescue effort in the Mississippi River.

The American Heritage ship, managed by American Cruise Lines, was T-boned by the tanker while docked near the French Quarter, a spokesperson said in a statement.

Thirty-two passengers were hospitalized in the collision, though none of those injuries were critical, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters.

All of the passengers had been accounted for, she said.

Moreno called that fact “a miracle on the Mississippi.”

The cause of the crash was unclear and remained under investigation, Moreno said.

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board will conduct that investigation. The transportation officials were delayed in making their way to the Crescent City because of the ground stop at airports across the nation, officials said.

There were nearly 130 passengers on board the Heritage, which had been docked in the port for about two hours before the incident, NBC affiliate WDSU reported.

Officials said the tanker lost control and collided with the riverboat at 12:30 p.m. in the Port of New Orleans, one of the nation’s largest…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health