Tragedy on the Canal: Guest Dies During Underground Lockport Cave Tour

A tragedy on the canal has left one person dead.

Rescue crews were called to Lockport Caves on the Erie Canal after a tour boat capsized. Surrounding streets were closed to allow rescue vehicles and crews access to the area.

26 passengers and one employee were brought to safety. Lockport Police say one passenger didn't make it.

After life saving efforts were made by crews the passenger was pronounced dead on the scene.

The name of the passenger is being withheld until the family can be notified.

Police are continuing to investigate. No other details are being released including how the boat capsized during the underground boat tour in the first place.

Longest Underground Boat Tour

Lockport Cave is home to the longest underground boat tour in the country. Guests have been gliding through the water with only small, sporadically placed electric lights to show the way since 1977, when tours first began.

Tours begin with a walk along the banks of the Erie Canal, past artifacts that have been left by miners over a century ago. Then it's down underground for a tour of the Lockport Cave by lantern light, walking past cave formations in their early stages of development.

Ghost-hunting experiences are also available during Halloween to investigate one of the most historic and hidden secrets of New York State. Lockport Cave has been described as the “tunnels of terror” by the Ghost Hunters in Season 8.