A tour boat ferrying 29 people through an underground cave along the Erie Canal in upstate New York capsized Monday, killing one person and injuring several others.
The person who was killed, a 60-year-old man, was stuck under the capsized flat-bottom pontoon operated by the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride, CNN reported. Emergency crews rescued 16 of the survivors, while the rest emerged safely unassisted, the report said. Eleven people sustained various injuries. (RELATED: Red Sea Tour Boat Fire Leaves Three UK Divers Dead)
The affected individuals were hospitality workers on a familiarization tour organized by Destination Niagara USA, and were near the end of the tour, according to the Associated Press (AP).
My team is in close contact with local officials and emergency operations teams who have responded to a capsized boat along the Erie Canal in Lockport.@nyspolice, @NYSDHSES, @NYstateparks, and @HealthNYGov are on site to assist local officials in the response.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 12, 2023
Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said the boat could hold up to 40 people, per the CNN report. The boat was built for travel within the well-lit cave, with no treacherous spots along the route, and the tour was handled by professionals, NBC News quoted Quagliano as saying. However, none of the passengers on board had a life jacket and it was not clear whether one was required, according to CNN.
The survivors were “wet and shaken up,” Quagliano said, NBC News reported.
The incident is under investigation as authorities are treating the area as a crime scene, CNN reported.