NEW YORK — A blast on a boat laden with raw sewage, docked on the Hudson River in New York City killed a veteran city employee Saturday, officials reported.
Another operator on the city-owned Hunts Point vessel sustained injuries and was hospitalized following the explosion at roughly 10:30 a.m. near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, as conveyed by city Fire Department Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms. A third worker declined medical attention.
The reason for the explosion is being examined, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams mentioned in a statement that criminal activity was not presumed. The crew on the boat, which transports raw sewage for treatment, were performing tasks involving flames or sparks when the explosion took place, the U.S. Coast Guard shared on social media.
First responders found a 59-year-old man unconscious in the river, New York police said, and he was declared dead at the scene.
The man had been a longtime employee of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. His name has not been released, but the mayor said he was “a devoted public servant who gave 33 years of service to the New York City, and our hearts go out to his family, friends, and colleagues during this painful time.”
The blast spread raw sewage over the deck of the boat, and firefighters and other first responders had to be decontaminated, Simms said. DEP said there did not appear to be any environmental impacts following the explosion.
