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 River

Video 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 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 Cruise Lines. It is five stories and can hold up to 150 passengers and was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Someone who answered the phone with the cruise line took a message but didn't immediately share any information Friday afternoon.

The Atlantic Asphalt tanker specializes 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.

Ships carrying asphalt and bitumen are often heated well above 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius) to prevent the asphalt from solidifying on the ship, according to the maritime periodical Marine Insights. It is not immediately clear whether the ship was carrying any materials when the crash occurred.

The 520-foot (160-meter) long vessel had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands. It is owned by a company called Nave Shipping SA, which is registered in Monrovia, Liberia, according to the International Maritime Organization. There was only one ship registered to that organization, which has no international sanctions against it’s operations.

Emergency personnel and crews are on the scene after a tanker crashed into a river cruise in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Emergency personnel and crews are on the scene after a tanker crashed into a river cruise in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

This image taken from video provided by Devon Flanagan shows people being helped out of the water after a tanker crashed into a river cruise in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (Devon Flanagan via AP)

Emergency personnel and crews work the scene after a tanker crashed into a river cruise in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

LONDON (AP) — Unauthorized drone activity has prompted a security response at an American base in Britain, the U.S. military said Friday.

Security forces at Royal Air Force Base Lakenheath in eastern England responded to suspected unauthorized drone activity, but no personnel, aircraft or infrastructure have been affected, the U.S. Air Force in Europe said in a statement.

“We continue to work closely with our host nation counterparts to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, U.S. and host nation civilians, contractors, and all of our families,” the statement said.

The drone incident means that three U.S. bases in the United Kingdom have been affected by threats in recent weeks. Friday's security response at RAF Lakenheath comes just days after the U.S. moved more than a dozen aircraft from a different base just miles away in eastern England — RAF Mildenhall — because of a threat.

During the plane exodus, RAF Mildenhall also raised its alert level to FPCON Charlie — the second-highest level, which is used when an incident occurs or intelligence is received indicating that some form of terrorist action targeting personnel or facilities is likely.

A U.S. official said at the time that the decision to move the aircraft was proactive rather than reactive.

Several weeks ago, a group of men was detained after three suspicious vans were spotted traveling toward RAF Fairford, roughly 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Mildenhall and Lakenheath. British authorities linked the plot to Iran, and the U.S. withdrew its bombers that had been stationed there.

The U.K.-owned base has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including the Iran war. Other arrests followed, and at least three men have been charged with plotting to attack RAF Fairford.

Also this week, a U.S. Army officer assigned to a NATO unit at a military base near Gloucester, England, was arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia. Police said the arrest was not related to other counterterrorism investigations, indicating no connection with the suspected terror plot linked to Iran at RAF Fairford, also near Gloucester.

Toropin reported from Washington.

FILE - An F15 is towed from the main runway at RAF Lakenheath, home of the British-based USAF 48th Fighter Wing, April, 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)