A tanker crashed into a docked cruise ship on the Mississippi River near the Port of New Orleans on Friday. The 520-foot-long Atlantic Asphalt collided with American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage at 12:30 p.m., causing the cruise ship to capsize in about 15 minutes, witnesses said. The cruise ship had 129 passengers—all of whom were accounted for, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a news conference, dubbing the incident the “Miracle on the Mississippi.” Thirty-two passengers were hospitalized. The number of crew members on board wasn’t immediately clear. The ship had docked about two hours earlier to disembark passengers, according to a Port NOLA spokesperson, after concluding an eight-day cruise to several destinations along the river in Louisiana and Mississippi. The tanker apparently had “some type of a loss of steering,” U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said, according to CNN, adding that the exact cause had not yet been determined. Burnham said the person piloting the tanker was a river pilot. Video of the moment of impact was obtained by WDSU New Orleans. Firefighters used ladders extended from the dock to rescue passengers, Moreno said, while other vessels responded to the scene. At least two harbor police officers fell into the water and were in the hospital in “good condition,” she added.
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