Mississippi River cruise crash has no fatalities, critical injuries

What they're saying: While the investigation remains ongoing, officials said the Atlantic Asphalt tanker appeared to have lost control, causing it to collide with the cruise ship.

• As passengers were disembarking after the collision, the cruise ship began to sink and eventually toppled over and flipped — leaving people in the cold water. Video from the scene shows passengers, in life preservers, swimming in the river toward safety.

• The first 87 passengers got off while the ship was still afloat, Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said. She added it "was normal conditions" on the river and that there wasn't a high current, despite how notoriously challenging that stretch of the Mississippi River usually is.
• "The Mississippi River is not some quiet pond," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said. He added, "I've never been prouder of a group of people than those people that came off of that boat."

Catch up quick: The American Heritage, a vessel operated by American Cruise Lines, had docked for passengers to disembark at the port Friday afternoon about two hours before it was hit, according to a press release from the Port of New Orleans.

• A city spokesman confirmed to Axios that the riverboat had rolled onto its side in the water, which social media videos appear to corroborate.

Zoom out: The Atlantic Asphalt tanker is registered in the Marshall Islands, and had arrived at the Port of New Orleans on Nov. 11.

• Per data from myshiptracking.com, the tanker began its current journey in Paulsboro, New Jersey, in late October.

Zoom in: The tanker was immobilized on the river Friday at about 2pm CT, with two tugs positioned on either side.

• Another dozen vessels were in the water nearby as a helicopter roamed overhead and sirens rang out over the water.

Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with additional information.