Terrifying moment holiday couple film tanker heading straight towards them to sink their cruise ship - before 180 lives are saved in Miracle of the Mississippi

A couple on a docked cruise ship which capsized after being hit by a huge tanker on the Mississippi filmed the terrifying moment the cargo vessel headed straight for them. 

The American Heritage, operated by American Cruise Lines, was docked on the river in New Orleans, Louisiana, when it was hit by the 520ft Atlantic Asphalt shortly after midday yesterday.

A remarkable rescue effort saw all 180 people on board saved in what has been hailed as the 'miracle on the Mississippi', thanks to heroic efforts from the US Coast Guard, other emergency services and members of the public.

New Orleans mayor Helena Moreno said yesterday that 32 passengers from the cruise ship were in local hospitals. None had critical injuries.

Two of those being treated are New Orleans Harbor Police officers who dived into the water to rescue passengers, Ms Moreno added. 

Dramatic images emerged showing passengers aboard the cruise liner holding on to railings for their lives as the ship starts to capsize.

And now, new video footage shows a couple filming the approaching tanker, before it dawns on them that the boats are about to collide.

The clip, shared on social media, was filmed from a balcony of one of the cruise liner's cabins, and showed the green and red tanker heading directly for the ship.

A couple on a docked cruise ship which capsized in the Mississippi filmed the terrifying moment a huge tanker headed straight for them in New Orleans yesterday

The cruise ship later capsized and remained half submerged in water - New Orleans mayor Helena Moreno said 32 passengers were taken to hospitals, and no one was unaccounted for 

A loud clanking sound can be heard as a chain is lowered into the water, before the noise stops and the chain goes taut.

The man and woman in the cabin can be heard exclaiming 'oh gosh' as they realise the boat is not going to stop in time to avoid a collision, and quickly run inside.

'Hang on baby, hang on baby, hang on baby, come on,' the woman filming is heard saying as the couple towards the door of their cabin. The video then cuts out as they flee. 

President Donald Trump thanked the US Coast Guard on Truth Social 'for doing such an incredible job of rescue, and other work, having to do with the crash', adding that 'incredibly, nobody was killed by this major collision'. 

Other clips filmed at the scene showed the cruise liner gradually listing before capsizing on to its side, where it remained half-submerged in water. 

The ship, which is five storeys tall and can hold 150 passengers, appeared to be pulled into the water as the tanker scraped past it.

Police officers could be seen running along the dock as terrified passengers screamed.

The couple in the cabin quickly headed towards the exit as they realised a collision was imminent before the video cut out

Emergency services are seen helping people out of the water following the crash

There were around 180 on board the ship, which had been docked for two hours at the time

New Orleans mayor Moreno said the cruise ship started to sink and eventually 'toppled over and flipped', dumping people into the river.

Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said about 87 passengers from the American Heritage disembarked before the vessel capsized.

Ms Moreno credited a swift response by local, state and federal personnel and bystanders from other vessels for preventing any loss of life.

She said that prior to the crash, the tanker had narrowly missed striking the Crescent City Connection bridge over the river, which carries 160,000 vehicles daily. 

Devon Flanagan was at his job nearby at the Port of New Orleans when workers rushed down the dock. He got out of his truck and saw the ship on its side and passengers in the water.

'It was just chaos,' he said. 'You had all types of ships, like other barges and other companies down there trying to help out, which also was a little convoluted because you had people still in the water.'

The American Heritage was finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi.

The tanker involved in the crash specialises 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.

The tanker involved had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands

Rescue teams on the river on Friday... what appear to be items from the cruise are floating in the water

Dramatic images showed passengers clinging to the railings of the ship after the collision

It had a final destination in New Orleans, according to MarineTraffic, and was sailing under a flag for the Marshall Islands.

The US Coast Guard said in an emailed statement that all river traffic was closed in the vicinity of the accident following the collision.

Coast Guard Captain Melanie Burnham told the New Orleans Advocate that the tanker appeared to have experienced some sort of steering failure but the cause of the mishap remained under investigation.

American Cruise Lines said it is coordinating with the Coast Guard and local authorities.

'Guests and crew were evacuated, and we are deeply concerned for everyone involved,' the company said.

Work is ongoing to secure hotel rooms for those onboard the cruise liner. 

Congressman Troy Carter earlier said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop had impacted NTSB's search-and-rescue efforts on the collision scene.

The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop on all US flights this afternoon due to 'extraordinary circumstances'. It was later lifted shortly before 8.30pm.