In brief
The paddlewheel vessel sank after a tanker struck it while moored in New Orleans. Mayor Helena Moreno said everyone aboard had been accounted for and 32 passengers were hospitalised.
The tanker Atlantic Asphalt struck the moored American Heritage on the Mississippi River around noon on Friday, November 13, causing the passenger vessel to capsize and sink, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing Reuters. Mayor Helena Moreno said the tanker had lost control.
Some people ended up in the water. Port workers, firefighters and other emergency services joined bystanders and people on other vessels in the rescue. Moreno said everyone aboard had been accounted for; preliminary information indicated that none of the 32 hospitalised passengers had serious injuries.
Port police chief Melanie Montroll said about 87 passengers had reached shore before the vessel capsized. American Cruise Lines said passengers and crew had been evacuated and that it was cooperating with authorities.
The US Coast Guard halted vessel traffic in the area. Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham suggested a possible malfunction in the tanker's steering system, but the cause remained under investigation.
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