Horror video shows cruise passengers hanging on for life after crash

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By LAURA PARNABY, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Updated: 22:09 13 Nov 2026

A tanker has struck a river cruise boat carrying 129 passengers close to New Orleans, officials have said.

Horrifying footage shows the cruise ship partially submerged in the Mississippi River, and it is unclear yet whether there have been any deaths or injuries.

Another video from the scene showed the much larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the paddlewheel cruise boat operated by American Cruise Lines while it appeared to be docked.

People were seen in the river in life jackets or standing near the railing as the other side of the American Heritage liner listed further into the water.

Follow the Daily Mail live blog for updates on the developing rescue mission…

Congressman Troy Carter said that the FAA groundstop is currently impacting NTSB's search and rescue efforts on the collision scene.

This afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a nationwide ground stop on all US flights due to 'extraordinary circumstances.'

According to reports, an unusual radio frequency outage has hit multiple high-traffic areas which has triggered the ground stops at all airports.

The Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) said at 3.54pm ET that the reason for the immediate halting of US flights was: 'Due to extraordinary circumstances for safety reasons.'

Kennedy issued a statement after Friday afternoon's horrifying scenes.

'Becky and I are praying for everyone involved in the terrible ship collision in New Orleans,' the statement read.

'We’re grateful for the brave first responders working to rescue those in anger and praying everyone makes it home safely.'

A press conference which had been scheduled for 4.30pm ET has been delayed while officials attempt to clarify the number of people who have been rescued, versus how many still remain on the ship.

It is unclear when the next official update will be.

‘The thing that really worried me from the first minute I heard this, I’ve met many of these cruise lines as the visitors would get off, and most of them are very elderly, some in wheelchairs or in walkers,' Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser told Atlanta News First.

'So when you see the boat list that quickly, you really fear the worst because of the ability of those people to get off the boat.'

He added that the cruise ship had only just set off from the port in New Orleans when disaster struck.

'This one was leaving New Orleans, going to Baton Rouge, Natchez Mississippi, Vicksburg, St Branchville, and then returning to New Orleans,' Nungesser said.

American Cruise Lines, the New Orleans riverboat operator, said in a statement:

The New Orleans Fire Department, New Orleans Police Department and US Coast Guard are all on the scene conducting search and rescue operations.

The cruise ship was built in 2015 and operated by American Cruise Lines. It is five stories and can hold up to 150 passengers.

The American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Witness Jamie Holford told CBS New that he saw The American Heritage hit the dock after the collision.

As the boat began to sink, he saw passengers climbing over the railings of the vessel in a desperate effort to make it to safety.

'It looked like something off the Titanic,' he described.

'It sounded like a war movie. Just imagine tons of steel crunching. That's what it sounded like.'

The tanker involved in the collission specializes in carrying large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, a semi-solid substance that is often used for road construction and roofing, according to the live shipping tracker MarineTraffic.

Ships carrying asphalt and bitumen are often heated well above 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) to prevent the asphalt from solidifying on the ship, according to the maritime periodical Marine Insights.

It is not immediately clear whether the ship was carrying any materials when the crash occurred.

The 520-foot (160-meter) long vessel had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands.

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