According to the Port of New Orleans, all 197 passengers and crew members have been accounted for. "No critical injuries have been reported," it said in a post on social media.
All passengers on board a cruise ship docked in New Orleans have been rescued after the vessel was struck by a tanker on Friday, officials have announced.
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The American Heritage cruise ship, operated by American Cruise Lines, was docked at the Port of New Orleans when it was hit by the Atlantic Asphalt tanker, causing it to flip and become partially submerged.
"At this moment, the information that we have, we have zero people unaccounted for," New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters, calling it a "miracle on the Mississippi."
"It was an all-hands-on deck approach, with harbor police responding first with just tremendous bravery going into the water even to start pulling people out," she said, while also commending firefighters and other ships in the area that provided assistance.
According to the Port of New Orleans, all 197 passengers and crew members had been accounted for.
"No critical injuries have been reported. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by today's incident," it said in a post on Facebook.
Video footage circulating on social media shows the moment of the collision and the cruise ship going down.
Other footage shows people in life jackets swimming to safety as the vessel is on its side.
"What could have been a devastating tragedy instead demonstrated the courage, professionalism and extraordinary coordination of those who answered the call," the Port of New Orleans said.