Rescue efforts under way after tanker strikes river cruise boat in US

Officials have not said if anyone was hurt after American Heritage was partially submerged with 129 passengers on board. A tanker has struck a river cruise boat carrying 129 passengers on the Mississippi River in New Orleans, partially submerging the vessel and prompting a major rescue operation. The Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the American Heritage paddleboat on Friday at about 12:30pm local time (18:30 GMT), the Port of New Orleans said.

The cruise boat had docked about two hours earlier to begin letting passengers off. The authorities have not released any information on injuries or deaths. Video from the scene showed the much larger tanker hitting the paddlewheel cruise boat as metal and glass crashed and crunched, according to The Associated Press news agency.

“Surreal, that’s what that was,” one witness, Jamie Holford, told local television. “Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.” Port police, the fire department, the coastguard and emergency medical staff are on the scene, and a triage area was set up inside the port’s administration building.