Deadly Georgia dock collapse blamed on unknown 'catastrophic failure'

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SAVANNAH, Ga. ‒ "Catastrophic failure" was blamed Sunday for the collapse of a dock gangway that killed seven people and plunged more than a dozen others into murky waters, bringing tragedy to a cultural festival on historic Sapelo Island.

The gangway collapsed late Saturday afternoon as festival goers prepared to board a ferry, state Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon said at a briefing Sunday. A chaplain for the agency was among those who died, Rabon said. Three people remained in critical condition Sunday, he added.

"I want to thank those who were on the scene as the tragedy unfolded and jumped into action," Rabon said. "Their quick response and action saved additional lives yesterday afternoon."

The collapse took place during Sapelo’s annual Cultural Day, which celebrates the community’s Gullah Geechee history. The Saltwater Geechee of Sapelo Island are a part of the Gullah Geechee community, direct descendants of West Africans brought over for their expertise in rice and indigo cultivation during the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The island is home to about 70 full-time residents of the Hog Hammock community, many of them descendants of people enslaved at Sapelo plantations. No residents of the island were among the fatalities, Rabon said.

Rabon said he did not know the capacity of the gangway, which was built three years ago. He said he was told it should have withstood Saturday's crowd, and a reconstruction team was working with engineers to determine exactly what caused the failure.

Desperate search for survivors

In the hours after the collapse, Coast Guard helicopters and boats equipped with sonar conducted search-and-rescue operations. Sapelo Island, about 60 miles south of Savannah, is only reachable by boat. The state-run ferry between Meridian and the island takes about 20 minutes.

An estimated 20 people fell into the water, and as many as 40 could have been on the gangway at the time of the failure, Rabon said. 

One of those people was Teake Zuidema, a photographer from Savannah who’d gone to capture images of the cultural event Saturday. He was preparing to board the ferry for the trip back to the mainland. 

“I think I took about three steps, and then all of a sudden, the whole world around me fell, and people were screaming and yelling,” Zuidema said Sunday. 

Chaos as people try to scramble to safety

Those in the water ranged in age from young to elderly, he said. Zuidema was able to use a railing to pull himself up, "but there were many people who tried to climb up that gangway, and they fell because it was so slippery," he said. As they fell, they pulled others into the water, he explained.

"It was really pandemonium," Zuidema said. "It was really horrific.” 

As Zuidema clung to the rail, he watched as the current swept away people who’d fallen into the water. 

"I looked around and I saw on the beach people were giving CPR to people that were lying there unconscious,” he added. “And then I realized that I saw people dying in front of my eyes.”

Witness wonders who is to blame for collapse

Hermina Glass-Hill, who works in Midway about 30 miles north of Meridian, said her shuttle bus was behind the one that delivered the passengers who were on the gangway when it collapsed.

“We saw people wrapped in insulated bags to keep them warm, and people being carried by first responders and local people,” she recalled in a phone interview Sunday morning.

Glass-Hill said her first thoughts were about how a celebration of Gullah Geechee culture, food, and music ended instantly in tragedy. But after processing what she witnessed, she wonders who is responsible for ensuring the dock was safe at a place "already wrought with enough social and political issues."

The Gullah Geechee remain on coastlines and barrier islands from North Carolina to Florida − and face an uncertain future amid rising seas and development. This is despite inclusion in the congressionally designated Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

Glass-Hill said that when she returned to the mainland she encountered a woman and her daughters who she’d met earlier in the day. 

“One of the daughters had seen a person drown, and she kept screaming, ‘If I could have saved them! If I could have saved them! If I could have saved them!’” Glass-Hill recalled, her own voice choked with emotion. “You know, they were supposed to go back to college (Monday), and now they have survivor’s remorse.” 

Biden laments 'tragedy and devastation'

President Joe Biden issued a statement saying he and first lady Jill Biden were heartbroken to hear the news. He said he was monitoring the situation and was prepared to provide any assistance that would be helpful to the community.

"What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation," the statement said. "Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing."

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also issued a statement, asking "all Georgians join us in praying for those lost, for those still in harm’s way, and for their families.” 

Witnesses lauded for 'jumping in to save lives'

Hogg Hummock’s slave descendants have close ties to each other and the land, said Roger Lotson, the McIntosh County Board of Commissioners member whose district includes Sapelo Island.

Lotson, the five-person commission's only Black member, said his prayers are with the families of those who lost loved ones and those hospitalized after the collapse.

"I am also praying for the mental well-being of survivors who witnessed this tragedy and all connected with Sapelo and the Sapelo Cultural Day event," Lotson told Paste BN. "Many on the scene heroically jumped in (to the water) to save lives. We applaud them, as well as our great first responders." 

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Contributing: Reuters