“Catastrophic failure” caused a gangway to collapse into the water at a ferry dock on Sapelo Island Saturday afternoon, leading to seven deaths, state officials said Sunday.
The incident occurred as visitors left the island’s annual Cultural Day , which celebrates the community’s Gullah Geechee history.
As of late Saturday morning, three victims remained hospitalized in critical condition, said Walter Rabon, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources , which operates the ferries and dock.
About 700 people traveled to and from the island Saturday, about seven-times the normal traffic, Rabon said. When asked if heavy use of the gangway could have contributed to the collapse, the commissioner replied that “it’s possible that extra stress” was a factor.
“Look, I’m sure anything that’s manmade has limits,” he added. “I don’t know what that is (with the gangway). I’m told that it should have carried the capacity that was there (Saturday).”
The dock and gangway were constructed in 2021, Rabon said. DNR’s Critical Incident Reconstruction Team and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating the incident.