At least seven dead after dock collapses in Georgia

At least seven people died after part of a ferry pier collapsed on Georgia's Sapelo island on Saturday, local authorities said.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the dock, said at least 20 people fell into the water when the gangway collapsed.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. local time (20:30 GMT) at the Marsh Landing Dock as crowds gathered for a cultural celebration.

Several people have been hospitalized and search and rescue operations are underway.

US President Joe Biden said he and his wife Jill mourn the lives lost and “pray for the injured and those still missing.”

According to local reports, it is not yet known what caused the collapse of the walkway that connected an outdoor walkway where people board the ferry to another walkway on land.

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

The governor has committed “state resources to assist with search, rescue and recovery,” Georgia Representative Buddy Carter said in a post on X.

Local authorities said the gangway was secured and the incident was under investigation.

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

The annual event marking the time of the collapse celebrates the island 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 U.S. Civil War The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation announced this on its website.

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

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

Sapelo Island is accessible by boat from the mainland.