According to New York City Fire Department Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms, at a news conference, two additional employees on the municipally-owned Hunts Point were injured and transported to the hospital following the explosion that occurred around 10:30 a.m. (local time).
The boat takes raw sewage to be treated, Simms said.
The men on the boat were doing work involving a flame or sparks when the explosion happened, the US Coast Guard said on social media.
First responders answering a 911 call found a 59-year-old man unconscious in the river, and he was declared dead at the scene, New York police said.
The explosion happened near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The blast spread raw sewage over the deck of the boat, and firefighters and other first responders had to be decontaminated, Simms said.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the explosion. The man’s name was not released.
