By Wealthy McKay
ATLANTA (Reuters) -At the least seven individuals had been killed after a part of a ship dock collapsed, sending a minimum of 20 into the Atlantic waters off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia.
U.S. Coast Guard ships had been looking out on Saturday evening for lacking individuals.
The accident, which additionally brought about a number of accidents, occurred throughout a celebration of Sapelo Island’s tiny Gullah-Geechee group of Black slave descendants, authorities mentioned.
A gangway crowded with individuals ready for a ferryboat collapsed late on Saturday afternoon on the Georgia barrier island about 60 miles (100 km) south of Savannah, mentioned Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for the Georgia Division of Pure Sources, which runs the ferry.
“We and multiple agencies are searching for survivors,” Jones mentioned.
Vice President Kamala Harris, within the state capital Atlanta for marketing campaign occasions, issued an announcement late on Saturday, saying the Biden administration was in shut contact with state and native officers and had supplied any federal assist wanted.
“Tonight, Doug and I are praying for all those who were killed or injured in the collapse of the ferry dock walkway on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, as well as their family members and loved ones,” Harris mentioned, referring to her husband, Doug Emhoff.
“Even in the face of this heartbreak, we will continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture, and resilience of the Gullah-Geechee community,” she added.
Coast Guard helicopters and boats outfitted with sonar instantly started search-and-rescue operations, officers mentioned. The reason for the accident was not instantly clear.
Sapelo Island is just reachable by boat, and the state-run ferry takes about 20 minutes to achieve its shores.
Folks had been marking Cultural Day, an annual pageant celebrating the island’s historic Black group, considered one of a number of surviving island communities from Georgia to North Carolina.
The individuals often called Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia, are believed to have retained a lot of their African heritage due to their isolation.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved, including the entire Sapelo Island Community,” the Georgia Division of Pure Sources mentioned in an announcement.
