New York boat capsized – live: One person dead after tour boat accident during cave tour along the Erie Canal
A tour boat capsized inside a cave 20 miles from Niagara Falls on Monday morning.
Lockport Police said that passengers were on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it overturned around 11.20am. Multiple agencies were called to the scene to search for the passengers in the water.
Mayor Michelle Roman said during a press conference that one person was killed during the accident, according to Spectrum News. The name of the fatal victim was not released but authorities said he was in his 60s and his wife is recovering at hospital.
Twenty-eight passengers and one staff member were on board when the tour boat overturned. According to Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano, sixteen people were rescued by boat after the wall outside the cave was breached.
The rest of the passengers walked out of the cave themselves as the water in the caves is around two to six feet in depth.
The individuals on board the boat were all locals participating in a free tour for hospitality workers.
Key Points
All 36 passengers onboard the Lockport Cave & Underground have been rescued
Similar incident took place at Lockport Cave eight years ago
13:00 , Andrea Blanco
Eight years before a man was killed during a capsizing accident at Lockport Cave, a similar incident also left boat passengers scared for their lives. No one was seriously injured in that incident.
Sheri Scavone told The Buffalo News she and her then 15-year-old were onboard the historic tour boat when it overturned in September 2015.
“We were incensed. I was like, ‘You have got to be kidding me.’ It was exactly the same thing,” Ms Scavone said about finding out about the capsizing on Monday.
“[My son] will not go into anything like a cave or a closed-in area.”
One man died and eleven others were left injured in Monday’s tragedy.
Survivors of capsized Lockport Cave tour boat describe terror as they were thrown into Erie Canal
11:00 , Andrea Blanco
‘The boat literally landed on my head,’ Elizabeth Morrissette says.
The Independent has more:
Survivors of capsized cave tour boat describe terror as they were thrown into water
Passengers were thrown into the water after boat became unbalanced
09:00 , Andrea Blanco
All 29 people on board the flat-bottom boat were thrown into water between 5 feet and 6 feet deep when the boat apparently became unbalanced and capsized toward the end of the roughly 300-foot tunnel.
Some passengers were able to get to safety on their own. Rescue crews using an inflatable boat rescued about 16 others, he said.
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died. His wife was taken to a hospital, officials said.
“We have had eight of the passengers come into our ER,” said Patricia Brandt, spokeswoman for Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport. “None critical. They’re all stable and some have already been released.”
Lockport Cave was featured in episode of Ghost Hunters
07:00 , Andrea Blanco
The tunnel was once the subject of an episode of the Syfy network show Ghost Hunters.
Photos and videos posted on the Lockport Cave website show small, flat-bottom boats slipping through a rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport extra water from the Erie Canal to power nearby businesses.
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.
ICYMI: A scene of panic, yelling as tour boat capsized inside Erie Canal water tunnel
05:00 , Andrea Blanco
A passenger thrown from a boat that flipped over with 29 people aboard during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system said he fought to breathe in the chilly water under the capsized craft.
The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized Monday during a tour of a historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person.
“By the time I realized what happened, the boat was on top of me and I couldn’t find any air pockets or anything. And I’m just trying to, like, breathe because I’m underwater,” survivor Daniel Morrissette told ABC‘s “Good Morning America” in an interview aired Tuesday.
The unidentified person who died also was trapped after the boat operated by Lockport Cave Tours capsized. Eleven people were brought to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, according to officials.
Tour boat previously capsized eight years ago
03:00 , Andrea Blanco
Eight years before a man was killed during a capsizing accident at Lockport Cave, a similar incident also left boat passengers scared for their lives.
Sheri Scavone told The Buffalo News she and her then 15-year-old were onboard the historic tour boat when it overturned in September 2015.
“We were incensed. I was like, ‘You have got to be kidding me.’ It was exactly the same thing,” Ms Scavone said about finding out about the capsizing on Monday.
“[My son] will not go into anything like a cave or a closed-in area.”
One man died and eleven others were left injured in Monday’s tragedy.
WATCH: Survivors of New York state boat capsizing share chilling story
01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Rescue teams breached wall to rescue boat passengers
Tuesday 13 June 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco
Law enforcement officials told The Niagara Gazette that a tour group was making its way through the cave when weight seemingly shifted on the boat, causing it to capsize. All of the passengers ended up in the water with the boat on top of them.
According to Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano, sixteen people were rescued by boat after the wall outside the cave was breached.
The rest of the passengers walked out of the cave themselves as the water in the caves is around two to six feet in depth.
Survivors of capsized Lockport Cave tour boat describe terror as they were thrown into Erie Canal
Tuesday 13 June 2023 20:44 , Andrea Blanco
Elizabeth Morrissette and her husband Dan were among 29 people onboard the tour boat that capsized at Lockport Cave on Monday.
Recounting the terrifying moments just before the boat overturned in an interview with WKBW, Ms Morrissette said she suddenly “jumped into the water” when the boat tipped.
Passenger were thrown into the water after boat became unbalanced
Tuesday 13 June 2023 19:51 , Andrea Blanco
All 29 people on board the flat-bottom boat were thrown into water between 5 feet and 6 feet deep when the boat apparently became unbalanced and capsized toward the end of the roughly 300-foot tunnel.
Some passengers were able to get to safety on their own. Rescue crews using an inflatable boat rescued about 16 others, he said.
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died. His wife was taken to a hospital, officials said.
“We have had eight of the passengers come into our ER,” said Patricia Brandt, spokeswoman for Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport. “None critical. They’re all stable and some have already been released.”
Some individuals being treated for exposure to the cold cave water
Tuesday 13 June 2023 18:15 , Andrea Blanco
Patricia Brandt, a spokeswoman for Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport, said she did not know the nature of the injuries but believed some were treated for cold from being in the water. Other patients went to other hospitals, she said, but did not have details.
Jeremy Swiatowy, 42, watched as rescue workers breached the wall to the cave with a sledgehammer before shimmying through the hole to help rescue the remaining people inside.
Mr Swiatowy said local schoolchildren often take tours at the Lockport, and locals were concerned that children might have been on the boat that sent people into the chilling water.
“The water in the caves is super cold,” he said.
Panic, yelling as tour boat capsizes inside Erie Canal water tunnel in western New York
Tuesday 13 June 2023 17:18 , Andrea Blanco
A passenger thrown from a boat that flipped over with 29 people aboard during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system said he fought to breathe in the chilly water under the capsized craft.
The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized Monday during a tour of an historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person.
“By the time I realized what happened, the boat was on top of me and I couldn’t find any air pockets or anything. And I’m just trying to, like, breathe because I’m underwater,” survivor Daniel Morrissette told ABC‘s “Good Morning America” in an interview aired Tuesday.
The unidentified person who died also was trapped after the boat operated by Lockport Cave Tours capsized. Eleven people were brought to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, according to officials.
WATCH: Survivors of New York state boat capsizing share chilling story
Tuesday 13 June 2023 16:52 , Andrea Blanco
Cave was featured in an episode of Ghost Hunters
Tuesday 13 June 2023 16:22 , Andrea Blanco
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.
Photos and videos posted on the Lockport Cave website show small, flat-bottom boats slipping through a rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport extra water from the Erie Canal to power nearby businesses.
The tunnel was once the subject of an episode of the Syfy network show Ghost Hunters.
Some individuals being treated for exposure to the cold cave water
Tuesday 13 June 2023 15:52 , Andrea Blanco
Patricia Brandt, a spokeswoman for Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport, said she did not know the nature of the injuries but believed some were treated for cold from being in the water. Other patients went to other hospitals, she said, but did not have details.
Jeremy Swiatowy, 42, watched as rescue workers breached the wall to the cave with a sledgehammer before shimmying through the hole to help rescue the remaining people inside.
Mr Swiatowy said local schoolchildren often take tours at the Lockport, and locals were concerned that children might have been on the boat that sent people into the chilling water.
“The water in the caves is super cold,” he said.
Passenger were thrown into the water after boat became unbalanced
Tuesday 13 June 2023 15:22 , Andrea Blanco
All 29 people on board the flat-bottom boat were thrown into water between 5 feet and 6 feet deep when the boat apparently became unbalanced and capsized toward the end of the roughly 300-foot tunnel.
Some passengers were able to get to safety on their own. Rescue crews using an inflatable boat rescued about 16 others, he said.
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died. His wife was taken to a hospital, officials said.
“We have had eight of the passengers come into our ER,” said Patricia Brandt, spokeswoman for Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport. “None critical. They’re all stable and some have already been released.”
1 dead after tour boat capsizes in Erie Canal water tunnel cave in Lockport, New York
Tuesday 13 June 2023 14:52 , Andrea Blanco
One person was killed and multiple people were sent to local hospitals after a boat capsized Monday during a tour of an underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, officials said.
Police and fire crews were called to the Lockport Cave Tours, about 20 miles northeast of Niagara Falls, at about 11:30 a.m. The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride illuminated only by small lights.
“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. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”
Survivors speak out after terrifying accident
Tuesday 13 June 2023 14:22 , Andrea Blanco
Elizabeth Morrissette and her husband Dan were among 29 people onboard the tour boat that capsized at Lockport Cave on Monday.
Recounting the terrifying moments just before the boat overturned in an interview with WKBW, Ms Morrissette said she suddenly “jumped into the water” when the boat tipped.
“I went under the water when it fully capsized, but I was on my way back up from being under the water and the boat literally landed on my head,” Elizabeth Morrissette said.
“People are climbing on top of the boat to get out of the water because as soon as you hit that water with your chest your air is gone. It knocks the breath right out of you, you have nothing left.”
An investigation into what led up to the boat capsize is now underway.
Tuesday 13 June 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco
A tour boat capsized inside a cave 20 miles from Niagara Falls on Monday morning.
Lockport Police said that passengers were on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it overturned just after 11am.
Multiple agencies were called to the scene to search for the passengers in the water.
Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said during a press conference on Monday that one person was killed during the accident, according to Spectrum News reporter Brianne Roesser. Twenty passengers and one staff member were on board when the tour boat overturned around 11.20am on Monday.
Tour boat fully overturned, authorities say
Tuesday 13 June 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco
“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, according to PIX11. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”
A man who became trapped under the boat died. His name has not been released
How deep is the water at Lockport Cave?
Tuesday 13 June 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco
According to an NYup.com article, the water is only two to four feet deep.
The passengers onboard the capsized boat were on exploring the caves on a 75-minute tour.
For the first leg of the guided tour, visitors walked along the Erie Canal, which is just a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls.
Passengers onboard overturned boat were hospitality workers
Tuesday 13 June 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco
According to Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano, sixteen people were rescued by boat after the wall outside the cave was breached.
The rest of the passengers walked out of the cave themselves as the water in the caves is around two to six feet in depth.
The individuals on board the boat were all locals participating in a free tour for hospitality workers.
No one was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
WATCH: Rescuers at the scene after boat capsizes during Lockport Cave Tour
Tuesday 13 June 2023 07:00 , Andrea Blanco
‘Weight shift caused boat capsize,’ law enforcement say
Tuesday 13 June 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco
Law enforcement officials told The Niagara Gazette that a tour group was making its way through the cave when weight seemingly shifted on the boat, causing it to capsize.
All of the passengers ended up in the water with the boat on top of them.
Boat capsized during tour of historic cave
Tuesday 13 June 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Cave is a half-mile-long manmade tunnel created in the 19th century with the original purpose of transporting water from the Erie Canal to the nearby Holly Manufacturing Company to power the plant.
In the 1970s, it was turned into an attraction offering thrilling underground boat rides to tourists.
One person dead and 11 injured after tour boat capsizes in New York cave
Tuesday 13 June 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Police said the group was on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it capsized on Monday.
Read more:
One person dead and 11 injured after tour boat capsizes in New York cave
WATCH: Rescuers at the scene after boat capsizes during Lockport Cave Tour
Monday 12 June 2023 23:13 , Andrea Blanco
One person dead following capsizing accident
Monday 12 June 2023 22:40 , Andrea Blanco
Authorities in Lockport said during a press conference that the fatal victim appeared to be a man in his sixties, according to Spectrum News. Twenty-eight passengers and one staff member were on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it capsized in the cave at around 11.45am on Monday morning.
Multiple agencies were called to the scene to search for the passengers. It took rescuers around an hour to rescue the 28 surviving passengers.
One person dead and 11 injured after tour boat capsizes in New York cave
Monday 12 June 2023 21:11 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Police said the group was on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it capsized on Monday.
Read more:
One person dead and 11 injured after tour boat capsizes in New York cave
Some passengers walked to safety, officials say
Monday 12 June 2023 20:42 , Andrea Blanco
According to Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano, sixteen people were rescued by boat after the wall outside the cave was breached.
The rest of the passengers walked out of the cave themselves as the water in the caves is around two to six feet in depth.
The individuals on board the boat were all locals participating in a free tour for hospitality workers.
No one was wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
Man who died was trapped under boat
Monday 12 June 2023 20:31 , Andrea Blanco
A man who was killed during the accident became trapped under the boat, which was fully overturned, according to Spectrum News.
One person dead after boat capsized
Monday 12 June 2023 20:15 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said during a press conference on Monday that one person was killed during the accident, according to Spectrum News reporter Brianne Roesser.
Twenty-eight passengers and one staff member were on board when the tour boat overturned around 11.20am on Monday.
Eleven people are being treated at an area hospital.
Accident during historical guided tour
Monday 12 June 2023 20:00 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Cave is a half-mile-long manmade tunnel created in the 19th century with the original purpose of transporting water from the Erie Canal to the nearby Holly Manufacturing Company to power the plant.
In the 1970s, it was turned into an attraction offering thrilling underground boat rides to tourists.
Press conference announced
Monday 12 June 2023 19:45 , Andrea Blanco
Authorities in Lockport, New York, will hold a press conference at 3pm ET.
‘Weight shift caused boat capsize,’ law enforcement say
Monday 12 June 2023 19:30 , Andrea Blanco
Law enforcement officials told The Niagara Gazette that a tour group was making its way through the cave when weight seemingly shifted on the boat, causing it to capsize.
All of the passengers ended up in the water with the boat on top of them.
Passengers recovering at hospital
Monday 12 June 2023 19:06 , Andrea Blanco
According to ABC, four passengers are being treated at Eastern Niagara Health System.
Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Boat capsizes in New York cave
Monday 12 June 2023 18:50 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Police said that up to 36 passengers were on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it capsized on Monday
The Independent’s Rachel Sharp and Graeme Massie report:
Boat capsized during tour of historic caves
Monday 12 June 2023 18:36 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Cave is a half-mile-long manmade tunnel created in the 19th century with the original purpose of transporting water from the Erie Canal to the nearby Holly Manufacturing Company to power the plant.
In the 1970s, it was turned into an attraction offering thrilling underground boat rides to tourists.
Streets were closed to conduct rescues
Monday 12 June 2023 18:30 , Andrea Blanco
Streets were closed just before 11.30am to allow rescue vehicles in the area.
All 36 passengers onboard the Lockport Cave & Underground have been rescued, WBEN reports.
All passengers rescued, report says
Monday 12 June 2023 18:25 , Andrea Blanco
36 all accounted for after tour boat capsized on Lockport cave tour pic.twitter.com/szdX20rDtZ
— WBEN NewsRadio 930AM (@WBEN) June 12, 2023
How deep is the water at Lockport Cave?
Monday 12 June 2023 18:16 , Andrea Blanco
According to an NYup.com article, the water is only two to four feet deep.
The passengers onboard the capsized boat were on exploring the caves on a 75-minute tour.
For the first leg of the guided tour, visitors walked along the Erie Canal, which is just a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls.
Rescue efforts under way after tour boat capsizes in New York cave
Monday 12 June 2023 18:07 , Andrea Blanco
Lockport Police said that up to 36 passengers were on board the Lockport Cave & Underground tour boat when it capsized on Monday
