#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 on Monday, sending several passengers into the water and killing one man, authorities said.

Lockport police officers and firefighters rushed to the Lockport Caves and pulled people out of the water after the first calls for help came in at about 11:30 a.m. ET, officials said.

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

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, describing the people who were rescued.

The boat was near the end of their 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.”

The man who died was not immediately identified, pending notification of his wife, officials said. That victim was likely trapped under the capsized boat for an hour, Lockport Police Chief Steven Abbott said.

Investigators from OSHA, NTSB, the sheriff’s office and local police were all on the scene.

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

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

The owner of the attraction has been cooperative with investigators during these early moments of the probe, authorities said.

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

“So it’s not something that was built … and brought in at at later date,” Abbott said. “They actually built it within the structure of that cave.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.