At least seven people died on Saturday (19) after part of a walkway at a ferry pier on Sapelo Island, Georgia, USA, collapsed, according to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Several others were taken to hospitals, the Associated Press reported, citing Tyler Jones, a spokesman for the Georgia DNR.
The incident occurred as crowds gathered on the island for a celebration of the small Gullah-Geechee community of descendants of enslaved people.
The walkway collapsed around 4:30 p.m. local time after a boat collided with the pier, a McIntosh County commissioner reported to the news affiliate. CNN WTOC. Several people fell into the water when the pier fell.
Jones said he didn’t know what caused the accident, but officials believe there were at least 20 people on the pier at the time, according to WSB affiliate WSB. CNN .
Among the dead was a DNR chaplain, Jones told the AP.
It remains unclear how many people were injured, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office said earlier Saturday in a Facebook post that it was “working an active situation on Sapelo Island,” with multiple agencies participating.
“We have established a family reunification site at Elm Grove Baptist Church,” the post read. “We ask that anyone looking for family members check there first.”
THE CNN contacted the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office, McIntosh County EMS, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Coast Guard seeking more information.
“The walkway was secured on Sapelo Island and the incident is currently under investigation,” the Georgia DNR said in the release.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “heartbroken” by the news.
“Marty, the girls and I are heartbroken by today’s tragedy on Sapelo Island,” Kemp said in a post on join us in praying for the people who are lost, for those who are still in danger, and for their families.”
Sapelo Island is a coastal island in Georgia accessible only by boat. The island is home to about 70 permanent residents, according to Explore Georgia. Most of them are descendants of enslaved people who worked on plantations.
Ferries typically depart from the Sapelo-side pier three times a day, taking visitors to the mainland pier in Meridian. The island suffered significant damage during Hurricane Helene, including a six-day power outage, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
This content was originally published in Partial collapse of catwalk in Georgia leaves at least seven dead on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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