Tragic Ferry Dock Collapse Kills At Least Seven People

A ferry dock collapse on Georgia’s Sapelo Island has tragically killed at least seven people.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR), a portion of the Marsh Landing Dock on the island collapsed around 4:30 p.m.

The freak accident caused up to 20 people to plummet into the water.

One of the deaths reportedly was the chaplain of the state agency which operates the dock.

“At least 20 people went into the water and they are working to determined injuries. This was shot by someone shortly before the collapse showing what it looks like,” FOX 5 Atlanta anchor Eric Perry said.

WATCH:

BREAKING: 7 people are dead after a dock collapsed on Sapelo Island(outside of Savannah).
At least 20 people went into the water and they are working to determined injuries. This was shot by someone shortly before the collapse showing what it looks like ⁦@FOX5Atlanta⁩ pic.twitter.com/mii2Bz9ZTV

— Eric Perry (@Ericperrytv) October 19, 2024

FOX 5 Atlanta reports:

Multiple people were taken to hospitals, and crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, the McIntosh County Fire Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and others were searching the water, according to spokesperson Tyler Jones of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the dock.

Jones said a gangway at the dock collapsed and sent people plunging into the water. It happened as crowds gathered on the island for a celebration of its tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants.

“There have been seven fatalities confirmed,” Jones said. “There have been multiple people transported to area hospitals, and we are continuing to search the water for individuals.”

Jones said he did not know what caused the gangway to collapse, but officials believe there were at least 20 people on it at the time. The gangway connected an outer dock where people board the ferry to another dock onshore.

Sapelo Island is about 60 miles south of Savannah and can be reached from the mainland by boat.

Seven dead after ferry dock gangway collapses on Georgia’s Sapelo Island https://t.co/6vKG0acqfN pic.twitter.com/Et4b9HwVmy

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) October 19, 2024

Tragedy on coastal Georgia’s Sapelo Island, where the dock’s gangway collapsed Saturday, killing at least seven people. An annual festival of Gullah Geechee culture was happening on the island. Here’s a photo of the dock that I took aboard a ferry last month on a reporting trip. https://t.co/f1R2yt7cRh pic.twitter.com/E0a0gYIpBT

— Benjamin Payne (@benjaminpayne) October 20, 2024

From the New York Post:

Three survivors in their 20s who got on the ferry said they heard the ramp collapse behind them and saw everyone who was standing on the dock fall into the water, including an elderly woman using a walker.

The group was visiting from Florida to attend Cultural Heritage Day when they saw four bodies, floating face-down in the water, pulled out to sea due to the low tide currents.

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Members of the McIntosh County Shouters were also among those who were swept into the water, according to County Commissioner Rogert Lotson, adding that they have all survived, to his knowledge.“Many of those who were on the ramp and many of the injured and dead are elderly,” Lotson said.

“It is a big tragedy for the county.”

The fatal incident happened as crowds gathered on the island to celebrate its tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants for Cultural Day, according to ABC News.

The annual event spotlights the island’s tiny community of Hogg Hummock, which is home to a few dozen Black residents and consists of dirt roads and modest homes founded by former slaves from the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding, the outlet reported.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.