(Reuters) – One man died and several people suffered minor injuries after their boat capsized during a tour of a cave system by the Erie Canal in upstate New York on Monday, local authorities said.
There were 28 passengers and one employee of the Lockport Cave boat ride aboard when the boat tipped over, Lockport Fire Department Chief Luca Quagliano said at a news conference. Some passengers were able to wade to safety. Others were rescued by emergency workers, who took 11 people to a local hospital for minor injuries.
Advertised as one of the longest underground boat rides in the U.S., the Lockport Cave boat ride is part of a tour of a stretch of the Erie Canal about 10 miles (16 km) east of Niagara Falls, including a hydraulic water tunnel constructed in the late 19th century to provide power to local businesses. The tours have been conducted since 1977, according to the operator’s website.
The man who died has not been named, but was about 60 years old, and may have become trapped under the capsized boat, the fire chief said.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York and Brendan O’Brien in Chicago; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
