7 Killed, 6 Critically Injured in Georgia’s Sapelo Island Dock Collapse

Lots of of individuals had been gathered to rejoice the Gullah-Geechee neighborhood on Georgia’s Sapelo Island on Saturday, Oct. 19, when a ferry dock gangway collapsed, killing no less than seven folks and injuring a number of extra.

Captain Chris Hodge with the Georgia Division of Pure Assets confirmed the loss of life toll of the autumn competition turned tragedy in a press convention, revealing {that a} complete of 20 folks went into the water after the gangway collapsed.

Eight people had been hospitalized after the incident, no less than six of whom are critically injured, Hodge mentioned. As of Saturday night, search and rescue efforts had been nonetheless underway by the mixed effort of a number of emergency companies.

A spokesperson for the Georgia DNR advised the Related Press that he didn’t know what brought about the gangway — which linked the outer dock to a different onshore — to break down through the annual celebration.

“There was no collision” with something, he advised the outlet. “The factor simply collapsed. We do not know why.”

The spokesperson additionally famous that the gangway has since been secured, and mentioned a workforce of specialists would start investigating on Sunday morning.

He additionally shared {that a} chaplain for the Georgia DNR was among the many seven killed within the collapse.

A spokesperson for the Georgia Division of Pure Assets didn’t instantly reply to PEOPLE’s request for remark.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reacted to the information on X (previously often called Twitter) on Saturday, stating that he and his household “are heartbroken by in the present day’s tragedy on Sapelo Island.”

President Joe Biden additionally shared a assertion in regards to the tragedy, writing that he and First Woman Jill Biden are “heartbroken to be taught” of the collapse and able to present assist.

“What ought to have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee tradition and historical past as a substitute changed into tragedy and devastation,” the assertion learn. “Jill and I mourn those that misplaced their lives, and we pray for the injured and anybody nonetheless lacking. We’re additionally grateful to the primary responders on the scene. My workforce is in contact with state and native officers, and we stand prepared to supply any and all help that may be useful to the neighborhood.”

In a assertion of her personal, Vice President Kamala Harris mentioned she is “praying” for these killed and injured within the collapse, and their family members. “Even within the face of this heartbreak, we are going to proceed to rejoice and honor the historical past, tradition, and resilience of the Gullah-Geechee neighborhood,” she mentioned.

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Sapelo Island attracts tons of of holiday makers every fall for the annual competition celebrating the heritage of the Gullah-Geechee folks, who’re descendants of enslaved West African folks, in keeping with The New York Instances. The Gullah-Geechee who stay on the island — which solely has a number of dozen residents — are all descendants of slaves who had been introduced there within the early 1800s.

Griffin Lotson, mayor of close by metropolis Darien and a seventh-generation Gullah-Geechee, advised the NYT that the day is “about all the tradition … from Africa, to the way in which that it was on the plantation, to the twenty first century with the younger of us and what they do.”

And, giving extra perception into the small neighborhood of Gullah-Geechee on the island, he advised CBS Information, “Everyone seems to be household, and everybody is aware of one another.”

“In any tragedy, particularly like this, they’re all one,” he mentioned. “They’re all united. All of them really feel the identical ache and the identical damage.”