Officials have released the identities of the seven people who died on Oct. 19 when a gangway collapsed at a ferry dock on Sapelo Island, Georgia, during an annual cultural day event.
About 700 locals and visitors had gathered on the island to celebrate the history and culture of its Gullah-Geechee community of black slave descendants.
The Marsh Landing Dock gangway collapsed at about 4:30 p.m. while dozens of people were waiting to board a ferry, officials said. More than 40 people were standing on the gangway when it collapsed and about 20 fell into the water, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Walter Rabon said.
McIntosh County Coroner Melvin Amerson identified the victims and said all seven were seniors aged 73 to 93.
One of the victims was Charles L. Houston, 77, from nearby Darien, who served as a chaplain for the DNR and other law enforcement agencies, according to his website.
William Johnson Jr., 73, and Queen Welch, 76, both from Atlanta, also died. The remaining four victims were from Jacksonville, Florida: Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; and Isaiah Thomas, 79.
Officials said that none of the victims were residents of the island.
Following the incident, the U.S. Coast Guard, the local sheriff, and fire departments joined search and rescue efforts with helicopters and boats equipped with side-scan sonar.
In a Sunday news conference, Rabon thanked civilians for their assistance after the collapse.
“Their quick response and action saved additional lives,” Rabon said.
Sapelo Island can only be reached by a state-run passenger ferry operated by Georgia’s DNR. The gangway, installed in 2021, was last inspected in December 2023 by the McIntosh County-based Crescent Equipment Company, the natural resources department said in a statement.
Georgia DNR says it will continue to work with law enforcement agencies and others to determine what caused the collapse.
“It is a structural failure. … There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that, but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds,” Rabon said. “I can assure you that the Department of Natural Resources’ Critical Incident Reconstruction Team will be working tirelessly in conjunction with the engineers and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to gather and preserve evidence and interview witnesses.”
Sapelo Island Ferry resumed operations on Monday, according to the Georgia DNR.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.