Worker killed in sewage-boat explosion on Hudson River off Manhattan

One worker was found dead Saturday in the water and two others were hurt in an explosion aboard a boat in the Hudson River that transports raw sewage to a treatment plant, authorities said.

Men on the boat were doing work involving a flame or sparks when the explosion happened, the U.S. Coast G uard said on social media.

The FDNY identified the boat as the New York City-owned motor vessel Hunts Point.

The call to the FDNY came in at 10:33 a.m. for a boat fire and water rescue near 12th Avenue and West 135th Street in Manhattan, drawing 12 units and 60 firefighters and medics, the FDNY press office wrote in an email. Marine and hazmat teams also were on the scene.

The injured men were brought to hospitals, the FDNY said.

All three victims were employed to operate the vessel, said Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms. The victim who died was blown by the force of the explosion between the pier and the vessel and had to be extricated, Simms said.

The NYPD said the dead man was 59 years old, but they did not release his name.

The explosion happened near the North River wastewater treatment plant. Simms said it is under investigation.

The man who died worked for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, whose responsibilities include treating wastewater, according to a prepared statement from Mayor Eric Adams’ office.

“I am devastated to hear about the tragic death of a dedicated Department of Environmental Protection employee who lost his life today while working on a boat at one of our city’s wastewater resource recovery facilities," Adams said.

The explosion caused no impact to the facility, the statement said, and no criminality was suspected.

Simms said that because of the raw sewage, all the FDNY responders had to be decontaminated. 

With AP

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.