LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — A boat capsized in a cave with 29 people on board the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Tour, Monday morning.
Officials said one man in his 60's died from his injuries from the accident, while 11 suffered injuries that lead them to area hospitals, such as a broken arm and a possible head injury, as well as slight hypothermia.
Investigators are working to find out just how the boat tipped over and local leaders and witnesses at the cave are trying to come to grips with what happened.
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At around 11:30 Monday morning crews got a 911 call about a boat capsizing in an underground cave tour.
Lockport Fire Chief, Luca C.P. Quagliano said, "Part of that tour involves about a 300 foot section, where tourists will get on a small boat, take them down a channel way about 300 feet long and then they come back and return to where they boarded the boat."
The boat can fit up to 40 people.
Quagliano said, "Somehow at the end of the cave, the boat became unbalanced and became capsized. All 29 people were thrown into the water. Some were able to self-extricate by walking down. The water is walkable for anyone that's right above the 6-foot mark."
Sixteen people were rescued by fire and EMS personnel through an inflatable boat, rescuing three to four people at a time.
Quagliano said, "Unfortunately, we did have one fatality in the incident. It was believed for a time that he was initially stuck underneath the capsized boat and it did take some time to get him recovered and back to a safe location. Unfortunately, he had succumbed to his injuries."
One of the rescuers was said to have hypothermia while rescuing tourists.
"We're considering it a crime scene. We have one individual that has passed and we have a whole lot of questions that need to be answered," Lockport Police Chief Steven Abbott said.
Agencies like National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and New York State Police are all part of the joint investigation.
Whether or not charges will be filed is still up in the air.
