A tour boat that sank inside a cave in upstate New York has resulted in one death and multiple hospitalisations.
On Monday at 11:25 a.m. in Lockport Cave, a boat capsized, according to authorities.
According to WIVB, the deceased was a 60-year-old male who was not immediately identified by authorities. He may have become trapped beneath the boat and suffered injuries before passing away. The tour boat also carried his wife.
Eleven additional people were taken to hospitals with minor wounds, according to Lockport officials.
About 16 people were rescued by first responders. Some passengers were able to walk out of the water because it was shallow.
There were 28 passengers on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat. All of them were from western New York and part of a Destination Niagara USA tour.
The water temperature was an estimated 60 degrees Fahrenheit due to it being shallower than the frigid surrounding waters.
Rescuers were able to account for every person within about an hour, officials said. No one was wearing a life jacket.
The cause of boat capsizing is under investigation by state agencies as well as the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
However, the Lockport Union-Sun Journal reported that it flipped because of a sudden shift in the weight distribution.
Four people with injuries that were not critical were being treated at the Eastern Niagara Health System, according to WKBW. Seven others ere taken to a nearby hospital.
Multiple agencies including the Lockport police and fire departments worked ‘to assist parties that were on a boat that capsized in the Lockport Cave tours,’ stated the Lockport Police Department on Facebook earlier on Monday.
‘Crews are working to assist all parties safely out of the area.’
Streets surrounding the cave, which is about 20 miles east of Niagara Falls, were closed to allow rescue vehicles to enter.
Tours have operated inside the cave system since 1977, according to WIVB. Water in the cave is about 4 to 6 feet deep, the TV station reported in 2021.
The Lockport incident happened two weeks after four people died when a tourist boat capsized on Lake Maggiore in Italy during a storm.