One person died and several were hospitalized Monday after a boat capsized during a cave tour in Lockport, New York, authorities said.
Lockport police and fire departments responded to the scene about 20 miles northeast of Niagara Falls at around 11:30 a.m. after the flat-bottom tour boat apparently became unbalanced and overturned. All 29 people on board were flung into water 5-6 feet deep toward the end of a tunnel, Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said at a news conference.
The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride illuminated only by small lights.
What happened on the boat tour?
“The boat did a 180-degree turn, so the bottom of the boat was upright in the water,” Quagliano said. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”
Quagliano said 16 passengers were rescued by crews with an inflatable boat, while others reached safety on their own. The name of the man who died was not released. Officials said his wife was taken to a hospital.
Seven people were being treated at Eastern Niagara Health System, spokesperson Patricia Kingston-Brandt said. She said all are stable but was unable to comment further on their individual conditions.
“As you can imagine, the water is cold in the cave. It’s a very confined area, and any time a boat is capsized I can imagine there would be some related injuries,” Kingston-Brandt said.
Nearby streets were closed to make room for rescue vehicles and crews.
Video footage from the scene outside the Lockport Cave office showed one person talking as she was loaded onto an ambulance. Others wrapped in white towels were being escorted to a bus as a steady rain fell.
The tunnel was blasted out in the 19th century to transport extra water from the Erie Canal to power nearby businesses.
What do you see on the tours?
A website advertising a “Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride” describes the experience as a 75-minute historic guided walking tour along the Erie Canal, located a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls or Buffalo. Images of the tour show a small engine-powered boat in a dimly lit underground cave.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lockport is a city of about 21,000 residents in Niagara County, New York, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is located about 20 miles northeast of Buffalo.
Contributing: The Associated Press
