A couple on a docked cruise ship which capsized in the Mississippi River filmed the terrifying moment a huge tanker headed straight for them before crashing into the vessel on Friday.
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tanker → dock → Friday
The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, was docked on the river in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday when it was hit by the 520-foot long Atlantic Asphalt shortly after midday.
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it → operate → midday
A remarkable rescue effort saw all 180 people on board saved in what has been dubbed the 'miracle on the Mississippi', thanks to heroic efforts from the US Coast Guard, other emergency services and members of the public.
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what → see → public
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said Friday around 4pm local time that 32 passengers from the cruise ship were in local hospitals.
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passengers → say → hospitals
None had critical injuries.
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None → have → injuries
Two of the people being treated at hospitals are New Orleans Harbor Police officers who dove into the water to rescue passengers, Ms Moreno said.
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Moreno → treat → passengers
Disturbing images emerged showing passengers aboard the cruise liner holding on to railings for their lives as the ship started to capsize.
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ship → show → lives
Now new video footage has emerged showing a couple filming the approaching tanker, before suddenly realising a collision was imminent.
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collision → emerge → tanker
The clip, shared on social media, was initially filmed from a balcony in one of the cruise liner's cabins, and showed the green and red tanker heading directly for the ship.
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tanker → share → ship
A couple on a docked cruise ship which capsized in the Mississippi River filmed the terrifying moment a huge tanker headed straight for them in New Orleans on Friday
The cruise ship later capsized and remained half submerged in water - New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno said 32 passengers were taken to hospitals, and zero people were unaccounted for
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people → dock → hospitals
A loud clanking sound can be heard as a chain is lowered into the water, before the noise stops and the chain goes taut.
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chain → hear → water
The man and woman in the cabin can be heard exclaiming 'oh gosh' as they realise the boat is not going to stop in time to avoid a collision, and quickly run inside.
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boat → hear → collision
'Hang on baby, hang on baby, hang on baby, come on,' the woman filming is heard saying as they head towards the door of their cabin.
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they → hang → cabin
The video then cuts out as the couple flee from the crash site.
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couple → cut → site
President Donald Trump thanked the US Coast Guard on Truth Social 'for doing such an incredible job of rescue, and other work, having to do with the crash', adding that 'incredibly, nobody was killed by this major collision'.
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nobody → thank → collision
Other clips filmed at the scene showed the cruise liner gradually listing before capsizing onto its side, where it remained half-submerged in water.
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it → film → water
The cruise ship, which is five stories tall and can hold 150 passengers, was seen being pulled into the water as the tanker scraped past it.
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tanker → hold → it
Police officers could be seen running along the dock as terrified passengers screamed out.
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passengers → see → dock
The couple in the cabin quickly headed towards the exit as they realised a collision was imminent before the video cut out
Emergency services are seen helping people out of the water following the crash
There were around 180 people in total onboard the ship, which had been docked for two hours at the time
New Orleans mayor Moreno said the cruise ship started to sink and eventually 'toppled over and flipped', dumping people into the river.
Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said about 87 passengers from the American Heritage disembarked before the vessel capsized.
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vessel → head → Heritage
Ms Moreno credited a swift response by local, state and federal personnel and bystanders from other vessels for preventing any loss of life.
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Moreno → credit → life
She said that prior to the crash, the tanker had narrowly missed striking a bridge over the river which sees 160,000 vehicles cross it daily.
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vehicles → say → it
Devon Flanagan was at his job nearby at the Port of New Orleans when workers rushed down the dock.
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workers → rush → dock
He got out of his truck and saw the ship on its side and passengers in the water.
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He → get → water
'It was just chaos,' he said.
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he → say → ?
'You had all types of ships, like other barges and other companies down there trying to help out, which also was a little convoluted because you had people still in the water.'
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you → have → water
The American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Heritage → finish → Louisiana
The tanker involved in the crash specialises 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.
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that → involve → tracker
The tanker involved had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands
Rescue teams are seen on the river on Friday, what appears to be items from the cruise are floating in the water
Disturbing photos showed people clinging to the railings of the ship after the crash
It had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands.
The US Coast Guard said in an emailed statement that all river traffic was closed in the vicinity of the accident following the collision.
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traffic → involve → collision
Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham told the New Orleans Advocate that the tanker appeared to have experienced some sort of steering failure but the cause of the mishap remained under investigation.
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cause → tell → investigation
American Cruise Lines said it is coordinating with the Coast Guard and local authorities.
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it → say → Guard
'Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved,' the company said.
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company → evacuate → everyone
Work is ongoing to secure hotel rooms for those onboard the cruise liner.
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Work → secure → liner
Congressman Troy Carter earlier said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop had impacted NTSB's search-and-rescue efforts on the collision scene.
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stop → say → scene
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop on all US flights this afternoon due to 'extraordinary circumstances'.
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FAA → issue → circumstances
It was later lifted shortly before 8.30pm.
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It → lift → 8.30pm
The Aporia
