1 dead in New York sewage-boat explosion on Hudson River

NEW YORK — An explosion on a boat carrying raw sewage that was docked on the Hudson River in New York City killed a longtime city employee Saturday, authorities said.

Another worker on the city-owned Hunts Point vessel was injured and taken to a hospital after the blast around 10:30 a.m. near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, city Deputy Assistant Fire Chief David Simms said. A third worker refused medical treatment.

The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but New York Mayor Eric Adams said in statement that criminal intent was not suspected. The men on the boat, which takes raw sewage from the city to be treated, were doing work involving a flame or sparks when the explosion occurred, the U.S. Coast Guard said 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 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. The Department of Environmental Protection said there did not appear to be any environmental impacts after the explosion.