Seven dead in collapse of crowded Georgia ferry dock

At least seven people died Saturday when part of a ferry dock collapsed on the Georgian island of Sapelo, local authorities said.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the pier, said at least 20 people plunged into the water when the walkway collapsed.

The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. GMT) at Marsh Landing Dock as crowds gathered for a cultural celebration.

Several people have been taken to hospital and search and rescue operations are underway.

US President Joe Biden said he and his wife Jill were mourning the lives lost and “praying for the injured and all those still missing”.

It is not yet clear what caused the collapse of the walkway, which connected an outer pier where people boarded the ferry to another pier on land, according to local reports.

Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, said he and his family were heartbroken by the tragedy and asked for prayers “for those who lost their lives, for those who are still in danger and for their families.”

The governor sent “state resources to assist with search, rescue and recovery,” Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter said in an article on X.

Local authorities said the walkway had been secured and the incident was under investigation.

Biden said his team “stands ready to provide any assistance that would be helpful to the community.”

The annual event held at the time of the collapse celebrates the community of Hogg Hummock, home to a few dozen black residents.

Hogg Hummock was founded by newly freed former slaves from coastal Georgia plantations who settled on Sapelo Island after the American Civil War, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation said on its website.

Saturday’s event “should have been a joyful celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history, instead of devolving into tragedy and devastation,” President Biden said in his statement.

Small communities of enslaved southern island populations, known as the Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia, are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida.

Sapelo Island is accessible from the mainland by boat.