1 Person Dead After Tour Boat Capsizes Inside Cave Along The Erie Canal

A tour boat capsized Monday morning in a cave along the Erie Canal in Upstate New York, authorities said. One person died after being trapped beneath the boat for at least an hour.

Fire officials and emergency medical personnel rescued 16 people from the water. Authorities said there were 28 people on board the boat when it capsized before 11:30 a.m. The rest of the passengers were able to emerge safely out of the cave.

The tour was carrying passengers and one staff member from Destination Niagara through a series of caves in a section of the Erie Canal in Lockport, near Niagara Falls at the U.S.-Canadian border. 

The capsize happened during a stretch of the underground trip where tourists board a small boat and travel along a 300-foot channel inside the cave, where the water level hovers around five feet deep, although it exceeds six feet in some areas, authorities said at a news conference Monday afternoon. 

Authorities said the boat, which can carry as many as 40 people, became unstable and flipped near the end of the channel. The passenger who was killed was about 60 years old, authorities said.

Of the 16 people rescued by crews, 11 were injured and transported to a hospital for treatment. Officials said a broken arm and a possible head injury were recorded, although some passengers could have potentially suffered from hypothermia after being in the water for 15 or 20 minutes. The water temperature at the time was between 55 degrees and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Lockport Police Department originally confirmed the incident in a statement shared to its Facebook page about an hour after it happened.

"Lockport police and fire departments, as well as several other agencies, are currently working to assist parties that were on a boat that capsized in the Lockport Cave Tours," police said in the statement.

Streets in the surrounding area were closed off to give rescue crews easier access to the scene, according to Lockport police. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities said the area where the boat capsized will be considered a crime scene until their probe is complete.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a tweet that authorities with the New York State Police, Division of Homeland Security, State Parks and Health Department were at the scene and assisting local officials in their response.

"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," the tweet read.

CBS affiliate WIVB shared an image to Twitter that appeared to show authorities loading adults, wearing towels, onto stretchers along a roadway near the canal. 

As WIVB reported, boat tours have taken place inside the Erie Canal's network of caves since 1977, while the caves themselves were created in the late 19th century. Authorities said Monday that the Lockport Cave Tours have proceeded without incident since they began more than four decades ago.

First published on June 12, 2023 / 3:42 PM

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