At least 7 dead in a ferry deck gangway collapse on Sapelo Island in Georgia

At least seven people were killed Saturday after part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, The Associated Press reported, citing a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

At least seven people were killed and several others injured Saturday after part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It happened as crowds gathered on the island for a celebration of its tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants. At least 20 people were plunged into the water when a gangway collapsed on the visitor ferry dock shortly before 4 p.m., Georgia DNR Capt. Chris Hodge said at a Saturday night news conference. A McIntosh County commissioner previously said a boat hit the dock but a DNR spokesperson later told The Associated Press there was no collision and it is unclear why the dock collapsed. Among those who died was a chaplain for the DNR, Georgia DNR spokesperson Melissa Cummings confirmed to CNN. Six people were critically injured and two people were flown by air ambulance to hospitals for treatment, Hodge said. “The gangway has been secured on Sapelo Island and the incident is currently under investigation,” the Georgia DNR said in its release.