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One Dead After Boat Capsizes on Underground Cave Tour, Officials Say

Eleven other people were hospitalized with minor injuries after a boat traveling through a man-made cavern in Lockport, N.Y., tipped over, officials said.

The backs of several people’s heads are seen as they look down toward a cave next to the Erie Canal.

By Ed Shanahan , Lola Fadulu and Dan Higgins

One person was killed and more than a dozen had to be rescued after a tour boat capsized Monday morning while carrying passengers through a narrow underground cavern in western New York, prompting an all-out response, officials said.

Twenty-eight people were on board when the boat tipped over at the Lockport Cave in Lockport, N.Y., about 20 miles east of Niagara Falls, Luca Quagliano, the city’s fire chief, said at a news conference. Emergency workers rescued 16 people from the water, the chief said; the rest were able to get to safety on their own.

“The boat did a 180-degree turn, so the bottom of the boat was upright in the water,” Chief Quagliano said at the news conference. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”

The authorities identified the person who died as a 60-year-old man who became trapped beneath the boat when it capsized. The man’s wife was also on the boat and was injured, Chief Quagliano said. He did not provide other details about the victim.

None of the passengers were wearing life jackets, the chief said, adding that because the cave attraction was privately owned, he and other officials were still trying to determine whether the operator was required to provide them.

Another line of inquiry involved inspection requirements for the flat-bottomed boat. It was not immediately clear which state agency, if any, had regulatory oversight of the attraction.

Steven Abbott, Lockport’s police chief, said the cave was being treated as a crime scene. An inspector from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was among those involved in the investigation, a spokesman for the agency said.

“We have one individual who has passed, we have a lot of questions that need to be answered,” Chief Abbott said. “Whether or not that leads to charges in the future, I do not know, but as of right now we’re treating it as a crime scene.”

Eleven people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, the worst appearing to be a broken arm, Chief Quagliano said. Of seven who were treated at Eastern Niagara Hospital in Lockport, six were released by 4:30 p.m. and the seventh was expected to be released Monday evening, a spokeswoman said.

The passengers were local residents on an outing sponsored by Destination Niagara USA, a regional tourism group that organizes such events for hospitality industry employees in Niagara County’s towns and cities, officials said. Monday was “Lockport Day.”

Andrea Czopp of Destination Niagara USA, who appeared at the news conference, said she had visited the cave “many times” and had never worn a life jacket.

The police in Lockport said a call about the boat capsizing had come in at about 11:30 a.m. The police and fire departments and other public safety agencies immediately began rescue efforts, officials said.

The boat, which can safely accommodate up to 40 people and has only about two to three feet of clearance on either side as it traverses the tunnellike cave, became unbalanced at the end of its 300-foot route for reasons that were not yet clear, Chief Quagliano said.

Everyone aboard — 27 passengers and one employee — was thrown into the water, which was about 60 degrees and exceeded six feet in depth in places, he said.

A remnant of western New York’s industrial pasts, the cave is adjacent to the Erie Canal and was created in the 19th century as a spillway for the canal. It opened as a tourist attraction in the 1970s. Lockport’s mayor, Michelle Roman, said the death was the first at the attraction that anyone could remember.

The cave was designed by Birdsill Holly, a businessman and inventor, to harness the canal’s downhill water flow to power equipment at his Holly Manufacturing Company, according to newyorkupstate.com . Miners blasted through limestone for eight years to complete it.

As described by tour guides, the cave’s creation relied in part on the labor of orphaned children called powder monkeys who were sent underground to tamp gunpowder into small holes, light it and then run for their lives.

Near the cave on Monday afternoon, firefighters, police officers and New York State troopers formed a human wall around people who appeared to have been rescued from the boat, many wrapped in white towels.

Ashley Kandel of Victor, N.Y., was among those looking on. She and her husband, Tarek, had been scheduled to take the cave tour at 2 p.m. She said she had sensed something might be wrong when they were on their way to the cave in the late morning.

The couple encountered a large number of fire trucks and noticed that streets in the area were blocked off, Ms. Kandel said. She called Lockport Cave to ask about the unusual traffic, but no one answered, she said.

“We were going to face our fear of being underground,” Ms. Kandel said, describing part of the couple’s motivation for taking the tour.

Ed Shanahan is a rewrite reporter and editor covering breaking news and general assignments on the Metro desk. More about Ed Shanahan

Lola Fadulu is a general assignment reporter on the Metro desk of The Times. She was part of a team that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2023 for coverage of New York City’s deadliest fire in decades. More about Lola Fadulu

1 dead after boat capsizes during underground cave tour in upstate New York

The man who died may have been stuck under the capsized boat.

One person has died after a tour boat capsized Monday morning at the Lockport Cave, a historical, underground boat ride by the Erie Canal in upstate New York , the local fire chief said.

Twenty-nine adults -- 28 of whom were Niagara County hospitality employees -- were on the small boat, which can handle 40 passengers, Lockport Fire Department Chief Luca Quagliano said at a news conference. At one point the boat became unbalanced and capsized, throwing everyone into the water, he said.

The man who died may have been stuck under the capsized boat, Quagliano said.

PHOTO: Rescue workers breach a wall with a sledgehammer before shimming through the hole to help rescue people stuck inside the caves in Lockport, N.Y., June 12, 2023.

About 16 people were rescued by fire and EMS personnel, Quagliano said. Everyone else was able to get themselves to safety, he said, noting that the water is about 6 feet deep.

Eleven people were taken to hospitals for minor injuries, Quagliano said.

No one on board was wearing a life jacket, Quagliano said.

PHOTO: People watch rescue operations after a boat capsized during a tour of an underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, June 12, 2023.

It's not clear why the boat capsized, the fire chief said.

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The victim, who was not identified, was believed to be about 60 years old, Quagliano said, noting that his wife was among the people taken to a hospital.

Lockport is about 30 miles northeast of Buffalo.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted that her "team is in close contact with local officials and emergency operations teams."

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1 person dead after tour boat capsizes inside cave along the Erie Canal

By Emily Mae Czachor

Updated on: June 12, 2023 / 7:43 PM EDT / CBS News

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.

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. @nyspolice , @NYSDHSES , @NYstateparks , and @HealthNYGov are on site to assist local officials in the response. — Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 12, 2023

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.

The sheriff tells me no children were on the boat. Around 30 adults were on the boat that capsized. @news4buffalo https://t.co/IqTze5mi3k — Jeff Preval (@JeffPrevalTV) June 12, 2023

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.

Niagara Falls

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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1 person dead after boat capsizes in cave along Erie Canal in New York

A tour boat capsized in a cave along the Erie Canal in western New York state Monday, sending several passengers into the water and killing a man, authorities said.

Lockport police officers and firefighters rushed to Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride and pulled people out of the water after the first calls for help came in about 11:30 a.m., officials said.

A passenger was trapped under the vessel after it went bottom-up and was declared dead once he was pulled from the water, the Lockport Fire Department said in a statement. The man was not immediately publicly identified pending notification of his wife, officials said.

“The boat did a 180-degree turn, so the bottom of the boat was upright in the water,” Fire Chief Luca Quagliano told reporters. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”

First responders pulled 16 people from the water, 11 of whom were taken to hospitals for minor injuries and hypothermia, the fire department said, echoing a preliminary narrative offered earlier by Lockport Police Chief Steven Abbott.

Twelve other passengers were tall enough to walk through the water while breathing and reach safety, the fire department said. Rescuers used an inflatable boat and breached a cave wall to reach riders from different directions, it said.

A city police officer who entered the water to help passengers was later taken to a hospital to be evaluated for possible hypothermia, the fire department said.

A firefighter sustained a minor, unspecified injury but remained on duty, it said.

The people in the boat were hospitality and travel professionals in the area on a “familiarization tour,” guests of Destination Niagara USA, which promotes local tourism, officials said.

“Wet and shaken up is definitely an understatement,” Quagliano said.

The boat was near the end of its 350-foot journey when it capsized.

"There's no treacherous spots to traverse or anything like that. It's well-lit throughout the cave system," Quagliano said. "This place has been in operation for decades without incident. The staff there is very well trained."

Bystanders watch rescue efforts near an entrance to Lockport Cave after a boat capsized June 12, 2023, in Lockport, N.Y.

Investigators from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Transportation Safety Board, the sheriff's office and local police were at the scene.

“So at this time, we are considering it a crime scene until further notice,” Abbott said.

The famed Lockport Cave was the subject of a 2016 episode of the Syfy network show "Ghost Hunters.”

The owner has been cooperating with investigators in the early stages of the probe, authorities said. Operators of the site did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the 1800s, the site, which includes early Erie Canal locks, was used for a pioneering system that fed and pressurized the city's fire hydrants. The cave and boat tour, which commenced in 1977, is promoted as a must-see attraction for visitors to nearby Niagara Falls.

The boat that capsized was built specifically for travel in that cave, officials said.

"So it's not something that was built ... and brought in at a later date," Abbott said. "They actually built it within the structure of that cave."

The cause of the capsizing was under investigation, the fire department said.

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

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1 dead after tour boat capsizes inside Erie Canal water tunnel cave in western New York

Cave tour boat capsize.

A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized Monday during a tour of a historic underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person who became trapped beneath the overturned vessel, officials said.

All 29 people on board the flat-bottomed boat operated by Lockport Cave Tours were thrown into water between 5 feet and 6 feet deep when the craft tipped over toward the end of the roughly 300-foot route.

The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride through a dimly lit, rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport canal water as an industrial power source.

Some passengers dunked into the water were able to get to safety on their own. Rescue crews using an inflatable boat rescued about 16 others, Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said.

Jeremy Swiatowy, 42, watched as rescue workers breached the wall to the tunnel with a sledgehammer before shimmying through the hole to reach people inside.

“The water in the caves is super cold,” he said.

When rescuers reached the boat, some passengers had climbed on top of its upturned hull, Quagliano said at a news conference.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died. His wife was taken to a hospital.

A total of 11 people were brought to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, the fire chief said.

All of the passengers were hospitality employees from across Niagara County, according to Andrea Czopp, chief operating officer at Destination Niagara USA. The agency organized the outing as part of a familiarization tour, she said.

Authorities said the specially built motorboat holds up to 40 people, who sit in rows about four across. During the ride, about two to three feet of space separate the boat and cave walls on either side.

Nobody on board had a life preserver, authorities said. It was unclear whether they were required or offered.

The company that operates the tours did not immediately respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment.

Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said the attraction, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Niagara Falls, has operated since the mid-1970s, without incident. It will remain closed during an investigation.

“This is very sad for everybody,” she said.

Police Chief Steven Abbott said the cave and canal are private property.

“We have a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said.

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.

The water tunnel was once the subject of an episode of the Syfy network show “Ghost Hunters."

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York City and Michael Hill in Albany contributed to this report.

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One man dead after tour boat capsizes in New York cave

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One dead, several hospitalized after boat capsizes touring Lockport caves in New York

One person died and several were hospitalized Monday after a boat capsized during a cave tour in Lockport, New York, authorities said.

Lockport police and fire departments responded to the scene about 20 miles northeast of Niagara Falls at around 11:30 a.m. after the flat-bottom tour boat apparently became unbalanced and overturned, killing a man who got trapped underneath, officials said.

All 29 people on board − 28 passengers and a tour employee − were flung into water 5-6 feet deep toward the end of the ride in a tunnel, Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said at a news conference.

The name of the man who died was not released. Officials said his wife was one of 11 people taken to local hospitals, mostly with minor injuries.

The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride illuminated only by small lights.

What happened on the boat tour?

“The boat did a 180-degree turn, so the bottom of the boat was upright in the water,” Quagliano said. “A number of victims were on top of that boat initially when rescuers got to them.”

Quagliano said 16 passengers were rescued by crews with an inflatable boat, while others reached safety on their own.

“The water in the caves is super cold,” said Jeremy Swiatowy, 42, who watched as rescue workers breached the wall to the tunnel with a sledgehammer before squeezing through the hole to reach people inside.

Seven people were treated at the Eastern Niagara Hospital emergency room, spokesperson Patricia Kingston-Brandt said, adding later that six were discharged and the other one would be released in the evening.

"It's a very confined area, and any time a boat is capsized I can imagine there would be some related injuries," Kingston-Brandt said.

Nearby streets were closed to make room for rescue vehicles and crews.

The tunnel was blasted out in the 19th century to transport extra water from the Erie Canal to power nearby businesses.

Who was on the boat?

Nobody on board had a life preserver, authorities said. It was unclear whether they were required or offered.

Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said tours on the motorboats have operated since the mid-1970s without incident.

What do you see on the tours?

A website advertising a " Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride " describes the experience as a 75-minute historic guided walking tour along the Erie Canal, located a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls or Buffalo. Images of the tour show a small engine-powered boat in a dimly lit underground cave.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lockport is a city of about 21,000 residents in Niagara County, New York, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It is located about 20 miles northeast of Buffalo.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Fatal tour boat accident prompts New York governor to propose new oversight

Water reflects the rock of the man-made Lockport Caves in Lockport, N.Y., on Aug. 21, 2014. A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized Monday, June 12, 2023, during a tour of the historic underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person who became trapped beneath the overturned vessel, officials said. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)

Tour Guide Kyle Burkwit leads a group on a tour of the Lockport Caves in Lockport, N.Y., on Aug. 21, 2014. A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized Monday, June 12, 2023, during a tour of the historic underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person who became trapped beneath the overturned vessel, officials said. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)

This photo provided by Jeremy Swiatowy shows rescue workers as they breach a wall with a sledgehammer, Monday, June 12, 2023, before shimming through the hole to help rescue people stuck inside the caves in Lockport, N.Y. One person was killed and multiple people were sent to local hospitals after a boat capsized on Monday, June 12, 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. (Jeremy Swiatowy via AP)

FILE - A boat moves through the double lock system on the Erie Canal in downtown Lockport, N.Y., Aug. 24, 1993. A boat carrying 36 people capsized Monday, June 12, 2023, during a tour of an underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, police said. (AP Photo/Bill Sikes, File)

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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday she wants the state to have regulatory authority over boats that operate in caves and similar waterways following a fatal tour boat accident in an underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal.

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation regulates commercial boats, Hochul’s office said, but lacks authority to inspect those operating on non-navigable waters, like in the privately owned Lockport Cave.

The Democrat will propose legislation to close that loophole, her office said.

Earlier this week, a 65-year-old man died and nearly a dozen other passengers were taken to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, when a flat-bottom boat with 29 people aboard flipped while inside the historic, human-made cavern system in western New York.

After the June 12 accident at the Lockport Cave, a human services agency confirmed that a similar incident had occurred during a 2015 outing for clients and staff.

“As we mourn the loss of life resulting from the boat crash in the Lockport Caves, my administration is proposing legislation to prevent future tragedies,” Hochul said in a statement. “The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has the tools to keep us safe and this legislation will ensure they have the legal authority to use these to keep passengers safe on boats in caves.”

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One person dead and 11 injured after tour boat capsizes in New York cave

Lockport police said the group was on board the lockport cave & underground tour boat when it capsized on monday, article bookmarked.

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A tour boat capsized inside a New York cave 20 miles from Niagara Falls , leaving one person dead and eleven others injured.

Authorities in Lockport said during a press conference that the fatal victim appeared to be a 60-year-old man who was trapped underneath the boat and couldn’t get out, 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 survivors.

Eleven people are recovering in hospital. The worst injury is believed to be a broken arm.

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Law enforcement officials told The Niagara Gazette t hat 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.

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.

Survivors Elizabeth and Dan Morrissette told WKBW about the moment that the boat suddenly overturned throwing everyone on board into the water.

“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 said.

36 all accounted for after tour boat capsized on Lockport cave tour pic.twitter.com/szdX20rDtZ — WBEN NewsRadio 930AM (@WBEN) June 12, 2023

“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.

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.

This is what is looks like right now along the Erie Canal. City of Lockport Fire Dept. is assisting @WKBW pic.twitter.com/bJPIko4eDy — Kristen Mirand WKBW (@kristen_mirand) June 12, 2023

Lockport is a city of approximately 21,000 residents in Niagara County, New York, and is located around 20 miles northeast of Buffalo.

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Tour Boat Capsize in Underground Cave Wasn't the First, Agency Says; Passenger Recounts Ordeal

Soon after a tour boat flipped over during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system in upstate New York, members of another group recalled a similar experience while taking the same tour eight years ago

Tour Boat Capsize in Underground Cave Wasn't the First, Agency Says; Passenger Recounts Ordeal

Mark Mulville

Tour Guide Kyle Burkwit leads a group on the boat section during a tour of the Lockport Caves in Lockport, N.Y., on Aug. 21, 2014. A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized Monday, June 12, 2023, during a tour of the historic underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person who became trapped beneath the overturned vessel, officials said. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)

Soon after a tour boat flipped over during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system, leaving one passenger dead, members of another group recalled a similar experience while taking the same tour eight years ago and questioned whether anything had been done since then to make the attraction safer.

News of the 2015 capsizing emerged as the investigation into Monday's accident continued — and a passenger who survived the most recent ordeal recounted how he fought to breathe under the upside down craft.

The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized during a tour of a historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport.

Eight years earlier, clients and staff of the former Baker Victory Services ended up in the water when their boat also flipped, said John Pitts, spokesman for the agency, which has since been renamed OLV Human Services.

Few details about the incident were available, according to Pitts, who arrived the following year. He said it was unclear whether it was formally reported.

“I wish I knew more, but all I understand is that there was an incident where a boat had turned over and our staff and various individuals helped individuals out of the water to safety,” he said.

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Muslims gather to perform an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan at Washington Square Park on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

On Monday, one man died and 11 people were taken to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, after the tour boat operated by Lockport Cave Tours capsized.

“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 passenger who died also was trapped beneath the boat. Lockport police late Tuesday identified him as Harshad Shah. An online obituary from M.J. Colucci & Son Niagara Funeral Chapel identified Shah as a 65-year-old Niagara Falls resident who served as president of the Budget Host Inn in Niagara Falls.

“His wife remains in shock, unable to come to terms with this fatal event that unfolded before her eyes,” a statement from Shah’s family, tweeted by WRGZ , said. “We are all seeking answers to the why and how of this tragedy.”

Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said during a news conference that the attraction, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Niagara Falls, has operated since the mid-1970s without incident.

That's when Sheri Scavone said she “lost it.” She said her son, then 15, was on the boat that capsized in 2015 and is still traumatized by the experience he remembers vividly.

“Thankfully, this kid knew how to swim and was strong,” Scavone said by phone Tuesday, “but there was nothing to grab onto, the sides were slippery. It was pitch black. The boat was capsized.”

At the time, Scavone was only concerned with her son's well-being, she said. Now she wishes she hadn't let it go and is troubled that the tours have continued to operate without at least handing out life jackets.

The tour boat’s operator has not responded to requests for comment.

Samantha North told The Buffalo News that she also was on the 2015 tour as an employee of Baker Victory.

The boat became unbalanced and flipped midway through the tour, she said, after passengers were instructed to stand up and turn around for the return trip.

“It seemed like it took forever” to get out of the chilly water, she said, where passengers, purses, cellphones, keys and other belongings ended up.

Elizabeth Morrissette, who appeared on “GMA” alongside her husband, Daniel, said people were panicking and yelling loudly Monday as she and the other passengers were thrown into the water, which emergency officials said was between 5 feet and 6 feet deep.

Some passengers were able to get to safety themselves. Emergency crews used an inflatable boat to rescue about 16 others, fire officials said.

City of Lockport Police were investigating the accident. The mayor's office and fire chief did not respond to emails and texts seeking an update Tuesday.

The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride through a rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport canal water as an industrial power source.

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1 dead, several rescued after tour boat capsizes in underground NY cave

Tour boat capsizes in new york cave killing one, injuring several others.

Officials in western New York held a news conference after rescuing several passengers from a tour boat that capsized in Lockport.

LOCKPORT, N,Y. - A boat carrying hospitality workers capsized Monday during a tour of a historic underground cavern system built to carry water from the Erie Canal beneath the western New York city of Lockport, killing one person who became trapped beneath the overturned vessel, officials said.

The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride through a dimly lit, rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport canal water as an industrial power source.

A tour boat carrying 36 passengers capsized in western New York Monday.

Some passengers dunked into the water were able to get to safety on their own. Rescue crews using an inflatable boat rescued about 16 others, Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said.

Jeremy Swiatowy, 42, watched as rescue workers breached the wall to the tunnel with a sledgehammer before shimmying through the hole to reach people inside.

"The water in the caves is super cold," he said.

When rescuers reached the boat, some passengers had climbed on top of its upturned hull, Quagliano said at a news conference.

Authorities did not immediately release the name of the man who died. His wife was taken to a hospital.

A total of 11 people were brought to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, the fire chief said.

Nobody on board had a life preserver, authorities said. It was unclear whether they were required or offered.

The company that operates the tours did not immediately respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment.

"This is very sad for everybody," she said.

Police Chief Steven Abbott said the cave and canal are private property.

"We have a lot of questions that need to be answered," he said.

The water tunnel was once the subject of an episode of the Syfy network show "Ghost Hunters."

Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York City and Michael Hill in Albany contributed to this report.

Tour boat capsize in underground cave wasn’t the first, agency says; passenger recounts ordeal

News of the 2015 capsizing emerged as the investigation into Monday’s accident continued — and a passenger who survived the most recent ordeal recounted how he fought to breathe under the upside down craft.

The flat-bottomed boat carrying local hospitality workers capsized during a tour of a historic underground water tunnel off the Erie Canal in the western New York city of Lockport.

Few details about the incident were available, according to Pitts, who arrived the following year. He said it was unclear whether it was formally reported.

“I wish I knew more, but all I understand is that there was an incident where a boat had turned over and our staff and various individuals helped individuals out of the water to safety,” he said.

On Monday, one man died and 11 people were taken to hospitals, mostly with minor injuries, after the tour boat operated by Lockport Cave Tours capsized.

“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.

“His wife remains in shock, unable to come to terms with this fatal event that unfolded before her eyes,” a statement from Shah’s family, tweeted by WRGZ, said. “We are all seeking answers to the why and how of this tragedy.”

Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman said during a news conference that the attraction, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Niagara Falls, has operated since the mid-1970s without incident.

That’s when Sheri Scavone said she “lost it.” She said her son, then 15, was on the boat that capsized in 2015 and is still traumatized by the experience he remembers vividly.

At the time, Scavone was only concerned with her son’s well-being, she said. Now she wishes she hadn’t let it go and is troubled that the tours have continued to operate without at least handing out life jackets.

The tour boat’s operator has not responded to requests for comment.

Samantha North told The Buffalo News that she also was on the 2015 tour as an employee of Baker Victory.

The boat became unbalanced and flipped midway through the tour, she said, after passengers were instructed to stand up and turn around for the return trip.

“It seemed like it took forever” to get out of the chilly water, she said, where passengers, purses, cellphones, keys and other belongings ended up.

Some passengers were able to get to safety themselves. Emergency crews used an inflatable boat to rescue about 16 others, fire officials said.

City of Lockport Police were investigating the accident. The mayor’s office and fire chief did not respond to emails and texts seeking an update Tuesday.

The tours take visitors on an underground boat ride through a rough-hewn tunnel, which was blasted out in the 19th century to transport canal water as an industrial power source.

Tour boat capsize in underground cave wasn’t the first, agency says; passenger recounts ordeal

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (AP) — Soon after a tour boat flipped over during a tour of a dimly lit cavern system, leaving one passenger dead, members of another group recalled a similar experience while taking the same tour eight years ago and questioned whether anything had been done since then to make the attraction safer.