32 people taken to hospital after cruise ship collides with tanker on Mississippi River

More than 30 people have been taken to hospital after a tanker lost control and crashed into a cruise ship on the Mississippi River.

American Cruise Lines said its river boat, American Heritage, was involved in a collision while it was docked in New Orleans on Friday, partially submerging the boat.

The cruiser had 129 passengers on board.

Emergency services were dispatched to the scene to carry out a major rescue operation.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno has since confirmed that 32 people have been taken to hospital, none with critical injuries. She said all passengers have been accounted for.

At least 180 passengers and crew were rescued in total, with the mayor calling it "a miracle on the Mississippi".

Melanie Montroll, chief public safety and emergency management officer at the port of New Orleans, said the boat began taking on water as it was evacuating passengers.

Two police officers fell into the river, both of whom have been taken to hospital.

Ms Montroll said: "This was all hands on deck. And we are grateful for all of the partners that showed up immediately. It definitely made a difference in our rescue efforts to get the rest of those people out of the water."

American Cruise Lines previously said in a statement: "We are in close coordination with the US Coast Guard and local authorities. Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved."

Video showed rescuers scrambling to get passengers in life jackets out of the river, with luggage and other debris seen floating in the water.

"The passenger vessel was reportedly taking on water and was seen lying on her side, with around 129 passengers, in addition to crew members, aboard at the time of the collision", ship-tracking service MarineTraffic said.

At 160m, the tanker is twice the length of the 81m cruise ship, according to the service.

Lt Krystal Wolfe, from the US Coast Guard, confirmed that all vessel traffic was closed between mile markers 93 and 96 while the rescue operation was carried out, with officials now working to reopen the waterway.

The city's governor Jeff Landry posted on X: "We are aware of the incident on the Mississippi and we are in close contact with local officials and law enforcement. I am headed to New Orleans now."

The five-storey cruise ship, which can hold up to 150 passengers, was built in 2015 and is operated by American Cruise Lines.

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It was finishing an eight-day cruise to various Mississippi River destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Eyewitness Jamie Holford told WDSU-TV: "Surreal - that's what that was. Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over."

Devon Flanagan added: "It was just chaos. You had all types of ships, like other barges and other companies down there trying to help out, which also was a little convoluted because you had people still in the water."

The tanker specialises in carrying large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, a substance which is often used for road construction and roofing, according to MarineTraffic.

(c) Sky News 2026: 32 people taken to hospital after cruise ship collides with tanker on Mississippi River