What we know about the gangway collapse that killed 7 in Georgia, US

Seven people died Saturday when a gangway collapsed at a ferry dock on a Georgia island, the site of a festival celebrating the heritage of the Gullah Geechee, a community of descendants of formerly enslaved people in the Southeast.

People waiting for the ferry described hearing the crack of a gangway on a ferry dock at Sapelo Island, about 70 miles south of Savannah, Georgia, followed by the sound of screams and the horrific sight of floating bodies. The authorities are investigating what caused the gangway to collapse.

Here is what we know so far.

Who are the Gullah Geechee?

The most popular event of the year on Sapelo Island -- a day honoring the Gullah Geechee culture -- took place Saturday. Hundreds of visitors from Georgia and around the world visited the island, which is accessible by ferry and has only a few dozen year-round residents.

Some Gullah Geechee, a people who are descended from enslaved West Africans, live on the island, while many others live along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and northern Florida. During the annual festival on Sapelo Island, traditional Gullah Geechee food like smoked mullet is served, and performers present poetry and sing African spirituals.

By midafternoon, many visitors to the island were at the dock to take a ferry back to the mainland near Meridian, Georgia.

What happened in the collapse?

At around 4:30 p.m., as dozens of people were preparing to board a ferry called the Annemarie, the middle of the gangway collapsed, officials said. Twenty people were sent into the cold, fast-moving Duplin River.

"Everyone's falling into the water, and you're hearing screams," said Michael Wood, 43, who had been waiting in line to board.

Seven people were killed and three others were hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which manages the island and operates the ferry service. All 20 people who went into the water have been accounted for, the authorities said.

How many people were on the dock at the time was not clear. The McIntosh County coroner, Melvin Amerson, said he thought that most of the fatalities were from drowning, but he was waiting for the results of autopsies to confirm causes of death.

As the scene unfolded, other people, including many bystanders, jumped into the water to try to help. One of them said that rescue efforts were stymied in part because the low tide had exposed beds of razor-sharp oyster shells.

What is known about the victims?

McIntosh County Coroner Melvin Amerson identified the victims Sunday. All of them were older than 70: Charles Houston, 77, of Darien, Georgia; Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75; Cynthia Gibbs, 74; Carlotta McIntosh, 93; and Isaiah Thomas, 79, from Jacksonville, Florida; and Queen Welch, 76, and William Johnson Jr., 73, of Atlanta.

Houston had served as a chaplain for law enforcement agencies. He was known for his selfless spirit, and he comforted teachers and students in the days after the school shooting at Georgia's Apalachee High School last month.

Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force for two decades and worked for Lockheed Martin. He was studying to become a minister at his church, and had served as a deacon for 15 years.

Welch, a retired schoolteacher, loved to travel and was looking forward to hosting her family in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. Before she boarded the ferry Saturday night, she texted to a friend a photo of the sunset over the water and wrote, "It's a beautiful day here."

The backgrounds of the other victims were not immediately known.

Many questions remain about the accident.

The extent of the injuries of the three hospitalized individuals in critical condition was not known Sunday.

Officials said the collapse stemmed from a "catastrophic failure" of the gangway, but they have not cited possible causes.

A spokesperson for the Department of Natural Resources said Sunday that a portion of the dock was built, but not installed, by Crescent Equipment Co. The company, based in Townsend, Georgia, about 25 miles inland from Sapelo, declined to comment Sunday. It was not immediately clear who had installed the dock.