Seven people were killed and three others were seriously injured when an aluminium gangway collapsed at a ferry pier on Sapelo Island, Georgia, at the weekend.
All victims were senior citizens who had visited the island for a festival to celebrate the culture of an African American ethnic group, the Gullah Geechee, from the coastal southeast.
The senior citizens were on their way back to the ferry landing when the gangway connecting the shore to the floating pier collapsed beneath them. Eyewitnesses told the New York Times that the victims’ families had attempted to pull them from the water, and the survivors had battled to stay afloat.
“A lot of people jumped in and did what they had to do,” Maurice Bailey told the publication.
The victims were Charles Houston, 77; Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; Isaiah Thomas, 79; Queen Welch, 76, and William Johnson Jr, 73.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources chief, Walter Rabon, blamed the incident on a “structural failure”.
“There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminium gangway like that but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds,” Rabon said.
Local authorities have identified the contractor that built the dock, which was installed in 2020.
The tragedy brought an outpouring of condolences, including from President Joe Biden.
