7 Victims Identified In Sapelo Island Gangway Collapse: Reports

SAPELO ISLAND, GA — The seven people killed Saturday after the Marsh Landing Dock gangway crumbled during the Cultural Day observance on Sapelo Island have been identified.

Twenty people went into the water after the aluminum gangway collapsed, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said.

McIntosh County Coroner Melvin Amerson told ABC News the following people were killed:

• Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75, of Jacksonville
• Cynthia Gibbs, 74, of Jacksonville
• Carlotta McIntosh, 93, of Jacksonville
• Isaiah Thomas, 79, of Jacksonville
• William Johnson, Jr., 73, of Atlanta
• Queen Welch, 76, of Atlanta

Commissioner Walter Rabon identified the seventh person as Charles Houston, 77, of Darien. Houston was a chaplain for the DNR, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol, he said.

Rabon said Sunday that three people were hospitalized in critical condition.

He noted all those killed were visitors of the island and not residents.

“Our hearts continue to go out to the victims, their families and all of those involved in Saturday’s tragic occurrence on Sapelo Island,” Rabon said in a news release on Monday. “We will allow the investigators to take their time and conduct a thorough investigation.”

• Related: 7 Believed Dead When Gangway Collapses In Georgia'

The collapse occurred around 4:30 p.m. at the gangway leading from the dock to the ferry. It took place after at least 700 people gathered for Cultural Day, a celebration sponsored by the Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society.

Rabon said during a news conference that the gangway failure was structural. Maintenance to the gangway should have been minimal.

He added the land side of the gangway was attached while the other side remained in the water. The specific cause of the collapse is under investigation.

On Monday, the DNR said the gangway had been removed and taken "to a secured facility" for a probe by the DNR's Critical Incident Reconstruction Team and the GBI.

The structure was completed in November 2021, Rabon said.

The DNR on Monday said the last time the gangway was inspected was in December 2023 on its top and bottom sides.

"No areas of concern were present," the DNR said in the release.

Sapelo Island, which sits between Savannah and St. Marys rivers, is home to the last Geechee-Gullah community, Hogg Hummock. Geechee-Gullah is comprised of descendants of enslaved people who were taken to the island in 1802.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sapelo Island community as we support our partners in the gangway collapse," the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast said Sunday on Facebook.

Ferry operations at Sapelo Island were set to continue Monday.

The DNR has established a fact sheet regarding the gangway collapse.