About 130 people were rescued after the river cruise ship American Heritage, docked in New Orleans, was struck by the cargo vessel Atlantic Asphalt and left lying on its side in the Mississippi River, the BBC reported. Officials said 32 people from the riverboat were taken to hospital with non-critical injuries and that no one was unaccounted for, a result New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry both called a "miracle on the Mississippi." "We have zero people unaccounted for, which truly is a miracle on the Mississippi," Moreno said, giving credit to first responders who "literally jumped right in to help." The exact cause remains under investigation. U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said, "There seems to be some type of a loss of steering."
Calls about the collision began around 1:30 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, Port of New Orleans chief Melanie Montroll told a news conference, as people tried to help passengers escape while the boat took on water. The port authority said there were about 129 passengers, plus crew, on the American Heritage, a paddlewheeler operated by American Cruise Lines that had been finishing an eight-day cruise to destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi. Passengers began getting off as the vessel listed and then tipped onto its side, Moreno said. Tugboat operators, police and other rescuers rushed in, and officials shut down traffic on the river during the rescue. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that the rescue had been an "incredible job." Landry pledged an investigation, saying ships have operated safely on the Mississippi for years.
Witness Jamie Holford told the BBC's U.S. partner CBS that he had seen the cruise ship hit the dock after the collision. "It sounded like a war movie. Just imagine tons of steel crunching. That's what it sounded like," he said. "It looked like something off the Titanic." He said he had seen passengers and crew "hollering" and "crying" as they tried to get off while the ship was sinking. The American Heritage can carry up to 150 guests and, according to its website, has a glass-enclosed restaurant, a fitness center and three guest lounges. Built in 2015, it has at least four decks.
The verified news is a Friday collision, a completed rescue, 32 non-critical hospital cases, and no one missing, with a steering-loss question still under investigation. It is not a finding of fault, and it is not a fatality count.