A survivor of the Lockport cave boat accident has shared his chilling experience of being trapped underwater after the vessel capsized. During a tour of a historic underground water tunnel, the flat-bottomed boat, carrying local hospitality workers, overturned, tragically resulting in one fatality.
Daniel Morrissette, speaking to ABC's "Good Morning America," described the chaotic moments after the incident. "Suddenly, the boat was on top of me, and I struggled to find air pockets. I was desperately trying to breathe underwater," he recounted.
The accident, which occurred in the dimly lit cavern system off the Erie Canal in western New York, also left another individual trapped under the capsized boat. Eleven others were taken to hospitals, with most sustaining minor injuries, according to officials.
Image caption: A tourist boat pictured in New York's Lockport Caves during the summer of 2014. A similar boat capsized on Monday, prompting a survivor to share his harrowing account. (Mark Mulville/The Buffalo News via AP)
Elizabeth Morrissette, another passenger, recounted the widespread panic and yelling as people were thrown into the approximately five to six feet deep water. While some passengers managed to reach safety on their own, emergency crews utilized an inflatable boat to rescue around 16 individuals.
The City of Lockport Police are currently investigating the cause of the accident. The tour typically takes visitors through a 19th-century hand-carved tunnel, originally designed to transport canal water for industrial power. The Lockport Caves attraction is situated roughly 20 miles northeast of Niagara Falls.
