Tanker Hits Docked Riverboat American Heritage in New Orleans, 32 Hospitalised and Everyone Accounted For

Mayor Helena Moreno said the tanker lost control and hit the boat, per Al Jazeera, and called the outcome "a miracle on the Mississippi". Accounts of how many people were aboard differ: about 129 passengers plus crew in local reporting, and between 180 and 190 people in total in the mayor's figure as relayed by NBC.

Who responded and how are the passengers?

Port police, the fire department, the Coast Guard and medical crews were on scene. WDSU said passengers were triaged at the port's administration building, that the Red Cross provided water, blankets and emotional support, and that 85 hotel rooms were secured. It said the 32 patients were treated by LCMC Health, after an earlier estimate of about two dozen.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the government was throwing every asset at the rescue, WDSU reported. American Cruise Lines said guests and crew had been evacuated and that it was deeply concerned for everyone involved.

Why did the tanker hit the boat, and when will the river reopen?

The cause is unknown. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, NBC said, and their travel was delayed by the nationwide ground stop at US airports on Friday. It is not known whether the tanker was carrying cargo; Al Jazeera said such vessels typically carry asphalt and bitumen. NBC said public records show it is owned by Chinese and Liberian companies.

A three-mile stretch of the river was closed while responders assessed the scene, and a Coast Guard official said officials hoped to reopen it as soon as possible. A city ferry service has resumed. The investigation, not the river, is the longer wait: why a vessel bound for the port lost control beside a docked passenger boat.