Mystery as to What Caused Tourist Boat to Capsize Near Erie Canal

Authorities are still trying to figure out why a tourist boat with 29 people on board capsized in an underground cave near the Erie Canal, killing one passenger who got trapped underneath.

There hasn't been an incident in the operator's more-than-40-year history until officials say the flat-bottom vessel flipped over without warning as it cruised through dark man-made caverns.

Rescue workers used a sledgehammer to break into the cave not far from Niagara Falls.

“The boat became unbalanced and capsized. All 28 or 29 people were thrown into the water,” one official said.

A 60-year-old passenger drowned after getting trapped under the boat.

Seven people were pulled from the cave through the hole made with the sledgehammer. It's just big enough to get a person through.

The boat was filled with local tourism industry workers.

“No-one expected that we've put people on these boats for 30 years and nothing has transpired,” one worker said. “I've even been on that boat and have never felt unsafe at all.”

The caves are located in Lockport, New York, and once carried water from the Erie Canal to nearby factories. Now, it's a popular tourist attraction. The boat glides through the lifeless water and is a ride that has been described as peaceful and eerie.

Related Stories