A worker at a sewage treatment facility died on Saturday after an explosion onboard a barge in the Hudson River near Upper Manhattan, the Fire Department said.
The worker was an employee at the North River Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility, a sewage treatment plant just off the Henry Hudson Parkway near 138th Street. He and two other plant employees were transporting raw sewage on the barge at around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday when a compartment holding some of the waste exploded, David Simms, a deputy assistant chief with the Fire Department, said at a news conference on Saturday.
The force of the explosion pushed one of the workers into the water, pinning him between the vessel and the pier and ultimately killing him, Chief Simms said. The two other employees were taken to a nearby hospital and are in stable condition, the chief said.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear on Saturday.
According to preliminary information, the burst may have been linked to so-called hot work — construction that can produce flames or sparks — that was taking place aboard the boat, said a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, which responded to the explosion along with several city agencies.
In addition to the death, the eruption left raw sewage on the deck of the barge, Chief Simms said. But a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the plant, said that operations were not affected and that there did not appear to be any environmental damage.
In a statement on Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams said he was devastated to learn about the worker’s death and added that no criminal behavior was suspected in the accident.
“Our hearts go out to his family, friends and colleagues during this painful time,” Mr. Adams said. “The safety and well-being of our city’s work force, and all New Yorkers, is always our top priority, and we are committed to fully supporting an investigation and ensuring that every possible measure is taken to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
On Saturday afternoon, workers from New York City Emergency Management, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fire Department’s hazmat unit were on the scene “managing operations and ensuring public safety,” the emergency management agency said. Police officers also responded after receiving a 911 call about a person in the water.
The deadly explosion comes just one week after a Mexican Navy ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two crew members and injuring almost two dozen more.
The North River facility, one of 14 sewage treatment plants in the city, serves hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers on the West Side of Manhattan. In 2011, a fire severely damaged the plant and sent gallons of untreated waste into the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.
The spokesman from the Department of Environmental Protection said the employee who died had served 33 years with the agency. Rohit T. Aggarwala, the department’s commissioner, said in a statement that his team was grieving.
“He was a valued and experienced member of the Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, and his decades of service reflect his commitment to D.E.P.’s mission,” Mr. Aggarwala said.
Sharla Steinman contributed reporting.
Maia Coleman is a reporter for The Times covering the New York Police Department and criminal justice in the New York area.
The post 1 Dead After Explosion on Barge Near Manhattan Sewage Plant appeared first on New York Times.
