36 passengers were thrown into the icy waters by a tour boat that crashed within a cave in Lockport County, upstate New York, 20 miles east of Niagara Falls.
Police have verified that they are responding to a capsized boat at Niagara County’s major tourist destination, the Lockport Caves, which are located beneath the city. The Lockport Police Department states that the event happened around 11:25 am.
Emergency services have posted on social media that “several people” had been pulled from the water.
Since 1977, boat cruises have been available to visit the caves. The water around here is about six feet deep.
Located a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls or Buffalo, the “Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride” is promoted as a 75-minute historical guided walking tour along the Erie Canal. The tour’s photos show a small engine-powered boat in a dimly lighted underground cave.
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Eastern Niagara Health System was providing care for seven patients, according to spokeswoman Patricia Kingston-Brandt. Although she was unable to elaborate further on each person’s specific situation, she indicated that all seven are stable.
“As you can imagine, the water is cold in the cave. 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.
“Crews are working to assist all parties safely out of the area. This incident is still ongoing,” as per the release. Streets close by were shut down to make place for the rescue teams and their vehicles.
One person was heard speaking on video about the incident outside the Lockport Cave office as she was being carried into an ambulance. As a heavy downpour occurred, people were being led to a bus while being wrapped in white towels. There was no immediate access to more details. Stay tuned with Opoyi for updates and developments in the story.
