By Deutsche Welle (World News) | Created at 2024-10-20 05:36:32 | Updated at 2024-10-20 08:42:33
3 hours ago
At least seven people died, and several others were injured after a ferry dock walkway collapsed in the US state of Georgia on Saturday, authorities said.
The accident on Sapelo Island caused about 20 people to fall into the Atlantic waters, prompting search and rescue efforts by the US Coast Guard and other agencies.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said in a statement that there were seven reported fatalities. DNR spokesperson Tyler Jones later added that eight people were taken to hospitals, at least six of them with critical injuries.
The agency operates the dock and ferry boats that transport people between the island and the mainland.
Crews from the McIntosh County Fire Department, the DNR and others joined the US Coast Guard in searching the water.
Helicopters and boats equipped with sonar were engaged in the search-and-rescue operations.
The collapse occurred on Sapelo Island during a celebration of the island's Gullah-Geechee community, descendants of Black slave descendants.
ss/rc (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
