The aluminum gangway suffered structural failure as historic Sapelo Island hosted an event celebrating its Gullah Geechee history and culture.

There were life jackets bobbing in the water, people forming a human chain to pass survivors to safety and dead bodies being carried asnore in blankets.

Investigators have begun looking for reasons behind the failure at a ferry dock on Sapelo Island, the site of a festival celebrating the heritage of descendants of enslaved people.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon said Sunday morning that at least 40 people were on the gangway and that half fell into the water. The dock gave way before 4 p.m. in a "catastrophic failure," prompting a response from the Coast Guard and state and local agencies.

Georgia authorities say they are investigating the “catastrophic failure” of a dock gangway that collapsed, killing seven on Sapelo Island.

The island is home to about 70 full-time residents of the Hog Hammock community, many descendants of people enslaved at Sapelo plantations.

The "catastrophic failure" of an aluminum ferry gangway caused the deaths Saturday of seven people who were attending an annual cultural event on historic Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia, officials said Sunday.

A crowd had gathered for a celebration of the Gullah Geechee people, who have inhabited Sapelo Island since enslaved people were forcibly brought from Africa to the U.S.

The gangway collapsed Saturday as festival goes prepared to board a ferry amid Sapelo Island's annual Cultural Day, officials say.