Tanker ‘lost control’ and hit cruise ship in New Orleans, spurring massive evacuation, officials say

Passengers of a river cruise boat in New Orleans had to be pulled from the Mississippi river on Friday after a tanker collided with the paddlewheeler as it sat in dock, causing it to capsize.

Those aboard desperately gripped the railings of the American Heritage as it started taking on water and tipping over, sparking a major emergency response.

In what Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry hailed as a "miracle on the Mississippi," all 197 passengers made it to safety.