Still photo of the Sapelo Island Ferry dock taken prior to the ferry dock gangway collapse on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, as the last ferry was leaving the island (Photo: John Taylor).
SAPELO ISLAND, Ga. – At least seven people were killed Saturday after part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, authorities said.
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.”
What caused the Sapelo Island dock to collapse?
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.
Among the dead was a chaplain for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Jones said.
Sapelo Island is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Savannah and is reachable from the mainland by boat.
What is Cultural Day, and why do people gather on Sapelo Island?
Cultural Day is an annual fall event spotlighting the island’s tiny community of Hogg Hummock, which is home to a few dozen Black residents. The community of dirt roads and modest homes was founded by former slaves from the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding.
Small communities descended from enslaved island populations in the South – known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia – are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused residents to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets.
In 1996, Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, was put on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the United States’ treasured historic sites. But the community’s population has been shrinking for decades, and some families have sold their land to outsiders who built vacation homes.
Tax increases and zoning changes by the local government in McIntosh County have been met by protests and lawsuits by Hogg Hummock residents and landowners. They have been battling for the past year to undo zoning changes approved by county commissioners in September 2023 that doubled the size of homes allowed in Hogg Hummock.
Residents say they fear larger homes will lead to tax increases that could force them to sell land their families have held for generations.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp released a statement asking for all Georgians to pray for those who lost their lives in the collapse.
“Marty, the girls, and I are heartbroken by today’s tragedy on Sapelo Island,” Kemp said. “As state and local first responders continue to work this active scene, we ask that all Georgians join us in praying for those lost, for those still in harm’s way, and for their families.”