On the Mississippi River near New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, a tanker named «Atlantic Asphalt» collided with the passenger cruise ship «American Heritage». As a result of the incident, 32 people sustained injuries of varying severity and were taken to hospital.

According to the Report news agency, citing ABC News, the accident occurred at around 12:30 p.m. local time on 13 November. At the time, there were 129 people aboard the cruise ship, including passengers and crew members.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno stated that the injuries sustained by those affected were not life-threatening.

Following the collision, passengers began disembarking from the vessel. However, water entered the ship, causing it to list to one side before eventually capsizing. Emergency service personnel, the Coast Guard and crews from other vessels in the vicinity took part in the rescue operation.

According to preliminary information, the tanker lost control and collided with the cruise ship while it was docked. The exact causes of the incident are being investigated. Vessel traffic along the relevant section of the Mississippi River was temporarily suspended during the rescue operation.

Earlier, CNN reported that around 20 people had been injured in the accident. According to the latest information, the number of people hospitalised has risen to 32.