LOCKPORT, N.Y. — One person is dead after a tour boat operated by the Lockport Cave & Underground Boat Ride capsized inside of a cave Monday morning, according to Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman.

Officials say 28 hospitality workers and one staff member from Destination Niagara USA were enjoying a free boat tour around 11:20 a.m. when the boat, which has room for 40 people, flipped over inside a tight cave and everyone was thrown off.

Lockport Fire Chief Luca Quagliano says 11 people were injured and had to go to the hospital, while 16 were rescued in a combined effort by multiple EMS crews. One man, identified on Tuesday by police as 65-year-old Harshad Shah, was trapped under the boat and died. There is no official word on how this may have happened.

Andrea Czopp of Destination Niagara USA says nobody on board had a life vest and they do not believe it has ever been required in the past. When crews got to the scene, Quagliano says they had to take a sledgehammer to a wall of the cave that’s more like a façade.

The incident is under investigation and is being treated like a crime scene for now, according to Lockport Police Chief Steve Abbott.

There is no word on if and when this boat tour will resume regular operations.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement, saying in part:

"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."

State Sen. Rob Ortt, who represents Niagara County in New York's 62nd District, also released a statement, saying:

"It was heartbreaking to learn of the tragic incident at the Lockport Cave and Underground Boat Ride this morning. My thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the victim.  

I would like to thank our first responders for their quick response to the situation. And I hope for a quick recovery to those injured in today’s incident."