AI summary
Summary of article:
A cruise ship collided with an oil tanker and capsized near the port of New Orleans on the Mississippi River. All 129 people on board were rescued and 32 were sent to hospital with no serious injuries. The NTSB will investigate the cause.
On the 13th, a major ship collision occurred on the Mississippi River near the port of New Orleans. American heritagecruise ship After hitting the Atlantic tarmac, a large oil tanker, it capsized and much of its hull was submerged. Authorities immediately launched a massive rescue operation. Officials said the whereabouts of all personnel on both ships have been confirmed and no deaths have been reported.
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Eyewitnesses captured the moment of collision and the overturning of the American Heritage. The Port of New Orleans said the accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time, CBS News reported. The American Heritage had docked approximately two hours before the incident to allow passengers to disembark, but approximately 129 passengers and crew were on board at the time of the incident. Other footage showed people wearing life jackets swimming in the water or standing near the boat’s railing, while the rest of the boat continued to tilt in the water.
Witness Jamie Holford told CBS News that the sound of the collision “sounded like something out of a war movie. Imagine the sound of tons of steel squeezing and colliding. That’s the sound.” They saw the American Heritage hit the pier after the collision, people were quickly disembarking and people were trying to climb over the railing when the cruise ship overturned. “It looked like a scene from the movie Titanic.”
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New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said at a press conference on the afternoon of the 13th that cruise ship passengers were disembarking when the tanker “lost control” and collided with the cruise ship, causing the cruise ship “to sink and eventually tilt to one side and capsize.” Some people fell into the water.
Moreno described the successful rescue operation as a “miracle on the Mississippi River.” He said that in addition to local and federal agencies, private boats that were on the river at the time volunteered to help “try to get people out of the water.” 32 cruise passengers were sent to nearby hospitals for treatment, but none of them were in critical condition.
The Port of New Orleans said units involved in the rescue included the Port Police, New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard. Port of New Orleans Police Chief Melanie Montrol said two other police officers were sent to the hospital during the rescue and are in good condition.
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it would send a rapid response investigation team to the scene on the 14th to investigate the cause of the collision. The Coast Guard closed the section of the river after the incident and Captain Melanie Burnham said they were evaluating how to reopen the channel as quickly as possible.
Summary FAQ
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After the “American Heritage” grounded near the port of New Orleans, it collided with the large tanker “Atlantic Pitch”. The cruise ship immediately capsized and partially sank into the water. Some people fell into the water and got stuck at the spot.
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There were approximately 129 passengers and crew members on board the ship at the time of the accident. The whereabouts of all of them have been confirmed after they were jointly rescued by authorities and private boats. No death was reported. Of the passengers, 32 were sent to hospital but their condition is stable.
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New Orleans Port Police, Fire Department, Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard all participated in the rescue. The NTSB will dispatch a rapid response investigation team to the scene on the 14th to investigate the cause of the collision between the two ships and the cause of the tanker’s loss of control.
