Dramatic video from the Port of New Orleans shows the chaotic aftermath of Friday's collision, with the paddlewheel cruise ship American Heritage listing heavily beside the far larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker. The roughly 500-foot tanker had struck the docked riverboat on the Mississippi River on November 13, and the smaller vessel rolled onto its side. Footage shows passengers in life vests in the water while bystanders on the dock watched the rescue unfold. According to officials, the crew had gathered passengers and put life vests on them to get them off the boat when it suddenly rolled, sending roughly 100 passengers and crew into the river. The harbor police chief said those vests likely saved a number of lives.

Incredibly, no one died, even though around 180 to 190 people were aboard and so many ended up in the water. Thirty-two people were taken to hospitals with non-critical injuries, and the mayor called the outcome a "miracle on the Mississippi." Officials say the tanker appeared to lose steering control before the crash, but the exact reason is still unknown. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to investigate, and many questions remain about what went wrong on the tanker in those final moments.