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Shocking footage shows moment tanker crashes into cruise ship carrying nearly 200 people, leaving 32 hospitalized
Terrifying footage has captured the moment a huge tanker slammed into a docked river cruise ship near New Orleans.
The Atlantic Asphalt collided with the American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, at approximately 12:30PM on Friday (November 13) near the Port of New Orleans in Louisiana, according to The Sun.
The impact reportedly tore a hole in the cruise ship's side, extending into its dining room.
Footage captures terrifying moments before collision
Video footage shows the tanker approaching the smaller vessel before striking it.
The cruise ship then begins tilting sharply before rolling onto its side in the Mississippi River.
Passengers were thrown into the water as the vessel capsized, prompting a major emergency response.
Despite the scary scenes, everyone aboard was accounted for, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno confirmed.
She said 32 people were being treated at local hospitals, although none had suffered critical injuries, describing the rescue as a "miracle on the Mississippi".
Another video recorded inside the American Heritage shows the Atlantic Asphalt approaching the cruise ship moments before the collision.
The passenger filiming the video backs away from the window in fear before running for her life.
Other footage captures the cruise ship listing heavily and eventually overturning near the dock.
Passengers and crew desperately tried to escape as the vessel began sinking, with some entering the water and others clinging to life rafts while awaiting rescue.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene and pulled people from the river.
Moreno said the tanker "lost control" before it "collided" with the smaller ship.
"Eventually the cruise ship toppled over and flipped. When that occurred, we started to have people in the water," she added.
Investigators examine possible steering failure
Authorities are looking into what caused the tanker to strike the docked cruise ship.
US Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham said the tanker appears to have had "some type of a loss of steering" before the collision. However, the exact reason for the crash remains unknown.
The American Heritage had been nearing the end of an eight-day cruise along the Mississippi River, with stops at destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The successful rescue of everyone aboard has drawn praise from local and national officials.
President Donald Trump described the emergency response as an "incredible job".
Governor Jeff Landry also hailed the rescue given the "sheer number of people who were on that cruise ship" who were saved.
Jamie Holford, a witness to the crash, told BBC News that they heard a huge crash as the vessels collided.
"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."
Holford added that he had seen passengers and crew "hollering" and "crying" as they tried to escape while the ship was sinking.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched an investigation into the incident.