'Miracle on Mississippi' - All rescued after cruise ship hit by tanker in New Orleans

The cruise ship, American Heritage, was left lying on its side in the Mississippi River after it was hit by the cargo vessel, Atlantic Asphalt. The collision left 32 people from the stricken riverboat in hospital with non-critical injuries, but no-one unaccounted for.

Officials hailed it as a "miracle on the Mississippi". The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, but US Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham said: "There seems to be some type of a loss of steering." New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno told a news conference that all credit in the rescue effort went to first responders who "literally jumped right in to help".

Calls about the collision came in around 13:30 EST (18:30 GMT) on Friday when people began trying to help passengers escape the boat as it took on water, Port of New Orleans Chief Melanie Montroll told a news conference. There were about 129 passengers, in addition to crew members, on the American Heritage at the time of the collision, according to Port of New Orleans.