Search for survivors as seven people die in Georgia dock collapse

US Coast Guard ships searched all night for missing persons.

The crash, which also caused multiple injuries, occurred during a celebration for the small Gullah-Geechee community of black slave descendants on Sapelo Island, authorities said.

A gangway packed with people waiting for a ferry collapsed late Saturday afternoon on the barrier island of Georgia, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) south of Savannah, said Tyler Jones, a spokesman for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the ferry. .

“We and multiple agencies are looking for survivors,” Jones said.

Coast Guard helicopters and boats equipped with sonar immediately began search and rescue operations, officials said. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.