Sapelo Island, where the Gullah-Geechee community held a festival to celebrate, on June 10, 2013. File | Photo: AP
“A dock walkway collapse killed seven people in the southern US state of Georgia on Saturday (October 19, 2024),” authorities said, as crowds gathered for an island festival.
At least 20 people were thrown into the waters off Sapelo Island and an unknown number were injured, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said in a statement announcing the seven deaths.
The collapse occurred as the island hosted a festival dedicated to its small Gullah-Geechee community, descendants of Africans once enslaved on plantations in the US South.
Isolated on islands scattered along the southeast coast of the United States, their ancestors relied on land and sea. They created their own culture fueled by their African heritage and even developed their own Creole language.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said the incident is under investigation and did not offer a possible cause of the collapse.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said local officials will be offered any federal support the community needs.
“Even in the face of this heartbreak, we will continue to celebrate and honor the history, culture and resilience of the Gullah-Geechee community,” Ms. Harris said in a statement.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he was “heartbroken” by the tragedy.
“We ask all Georgians to join us in praying for the lost, for those still in danger and for their families,” he added on social media platform X.
Published – October 20, 2024, 4:08 PM IST
