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 the hospital after the blast around 10:30 a.m. near the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to city Fire Department Deputy Assistant Chief David Simms. A third worker refused medical treatment.
The cause of the explosion was under investigation, but New York City 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.