Topline
One person died and 11 people were injured after a tour boat capsized Monday in a water tunnel for the Erie Canal in upstate New York, officials said.
All 29 people on the boat were thrown into the water when the boat capsized, a local fire chief … [+]
Key Facts
A group of 29 people were on a tour of the underground cavern system that was built to carry water from the Erie Canal when “the boat did a 180-degree turn, so the bottom of the boat was upright in the water,” Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said at a news conference Monday.
Officials were called to the scene of the Lockport Cave Tours in Lockport—about 20 miles northeast of Niagara Falls—at about 11:30 a.m. Monday after all 29 people aboard the boat were thrown into the five- to six-foot-deep water after the boat became unbalanced and capsized.
While some passengers were able to get to safety on their own, rescue crews helped rescue about 16 others, officials said.
All 11 people who were injured suffered minor injuries, Quagliano said, with the most severe injury believed to be a broken arm.
The one person who died has not been identified, but Quagliano said his wife was taken to a hospital.
What We Don’t Know
It’s unclear what caused the boat to capsize. Quagliano said investigators are still looking into the cause.
Key Background
Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride has been open for tours since 1977, according to the company’s website. The boat takes passengers through a tour of a roughly 300-foot tunnel. Quagliano said the cave is a well-laid and well-lit path, and the company has been operating without incident for decades. The boat can safely handle 40 people, Quagliano said at a press conference Monday. It’s unclear whether the company asks or offers life jackets to passengers, but Quagliano said none of the 29 people aboard were wearing them. Of the passengers on board, 28 of them were local hospitality workers taking part in a tour to familiarize themselves with the attraction, a representative from Destination Niagara USA said at the press conference. The last person aboard the boat was a staff member.
Further Reading
1 Dead After Tour Boat Capsizes In Erie Canal Water Tunnel Cave In Lockport, New York (Associated Press)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/06/12/1-dead-11-injured-after-tour-boat-capsizes-in-erie-canal-tunnel/