By Hank Sanders
On Saturday, a tragic incident resulted in the deaths of at least seven individuals when a gangway at a ferry dock collapsed on a Georgia island, where many were gathered to honor the heritage of a community descended from enslaved people, according to officials.
The fatalities on Sapelo Island were verified by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which oversees the island and its ferry services. This location is situated approximately 70 miles by road south of Savannah, Georgia.
According to the department, late Saturday reports indicated that over 20 individuals ended up in the water when the gangway fell, although the total number of injuries remains unclear. A representative for the U.S. Coast Guard in Savannah stated via phone that he could not currently confirm the number of injured.
Hundreds flocked to Sapelo Island on Saturday for an annual celebration that honors the legacy of the Gullah Geechee people, as mentioned by Griffin Lotson, the mayor pro-tempore of Darien, Georgia. As of early Sunday, it was still unknown if any festival attendees were among those affected by the incident.
The Gullah Geechee communities, residing along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, and northern Florida, are descendants of enslaved individuals from West Africa who were brought to the southeastern United States over 200 years ago. The festival on Sapelo Island pays tribute to their language, food, and artistry, according to Lotson, a seventh-generation Gullah Geechee.
“This day is dedicated to our entire culture,” he expressed via phone late Saturday. “From African roots to plantation life, to the contemporary actions of our youth.”
The McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office noted on Facebook that various agencies were responding to the situation. Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia referred to the ferry dock area on social media as an “active scene.”
Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement indicating that federal assistance had been extended to local authorities to support the community.
“In the midst of this sorrow, we will keep celebrating and recognizing the history, culture, and strength of the Gullah-Geechee community,” Harris stated.
The cultural festival is coordinated by the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Gullah Geechee heritage. The society has not yet responded to inquiries for comment but expressed on Facebook that it was “devastated” by the occurrence.
J.R. Grovner, owner of Sapelo Island Tours, a business that utilizes the dock, arrived shortly after the gangway fall. Upon his arrival, he revealed he witnessed bodies floating in the Duplin River.
“Most of the bodies were already at the river’s edge, and people were retrieving them,” Grovner recounted in a Saturday night phone call, noting that several looked to be elderly. He mentioned assisting in checking their pulses while bystanders provided CPR.
“Having been on Sapelo for 44 years, I have never encountered anything like this in my lifetime,” Grovner remarked.
