Seven people were killed Saturday when part of a ferry pier collapsed during an event honoring descendants of black slaves on Sapelo Island, Georgia, authorities said.
“Seven deaths have been confirmed,” a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the pier, said in a statement.
Rescue crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, McIntosh County Fire Department and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were searching the waters, a Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesperson said, adding that several people were taken to the hospital. According to reports, the dock will be operated by.
Mr Jones said the gangway on the pier collapsed, causing people to fall into the water.
The tragedy occurred as crowds gathered on the island to celebrate the small community of the Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of black slaves.
