Rescues are underway in New Orleans after a tanker hits a river cruise boat on the Mississippi River

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A tanker struck the American Heritage river cruise paddleboat in New Orleans on Friday with 129 passengers aboard, partially submerging the boat, officials said.Authorities did not immediately release whether there were injuries or deaths. Video from the scene showed boats and rescuers scrambling to get people in life jackets out of the 66-degree Fahrenheit (19-degree Celsius) Mississippi RiverVideo from the scene showed the much larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker hit the paddlewheel cruise boat while it appeared to be docked as metal and glass crashed and crunched.

The Details

The boat quickly started to list to its side as passengers gathered near railings.“Surreal — that’s what that was,” witness Jamie Holford told WDSU-TV. “Fifteen minutes from impact to where it rolled over.”Luggage and other debris could be seen floating in the river. Survivors were being taken to a port of New Orleans building next door to the dock.The cruise ship was built in 2015 and operated by American Cru