Mississippi River closed as crew search continues | CNN

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Mississippi River closed as crew search continues

Monday, February 23, 2004 Posted: 6:57 AM EST (1157 GMT)


A family waits to take a shuttle from New Orleans,
Louisiana, to Gulfport, Mississippi, to board their
cruise ship.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) -- Rescuers held out faint hope of finding survivors among five sailors whose boat sank in fog over the weekend in a collision with a container vessel that paralyzed traffic in the Mississippi River.

Commercial divers were to search the partially submerged supply boat Lee III on Monday, and authorities hoped a salvage crew could remove it from the channel so river traffic could resume.

"The Coast Guard continues to search for survivors for as long as possible and finding people alive is the first and foremost priority," said Petty Officer Jonathan McCool, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Dozens of large ships and thousands of cruise passengers trying to get to or away from New Orleans as Mardi Gras fever builds up to a climax have been stranded while authorities mount a rescue mission.

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