INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
hospitals, at least six of them with critical injuries, and crews from the U.S
Coast Guard, the McIntosh County Fire Department, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and others were searching the water, according
to Natural Resources spokesperson Tyler Jones
The agency operates the dock and ferry boats that transport people between the island and the mainland.A gangway at the dock collapsed,
sending people plunging into the water, Jones said
A team of engineers and construction specialists planned to be on site early Sunday to begin investigating why the walkway failed, he
statement.
Among the dead was a chaplain for the state agency, Jones said.There were at least 20 people on the gangway when it
The gangway connected an outer dock where people board the ferry to another dock onshore.Georgia Gov
the mainland by boat.The deadly collapse happened as island residents, family members and tourists gathered for Cultural Day, an annual fall
The community of dirt roads and modest homes was founded after the Civil War by former slaves from the cotton plantation of Thomas
said Roger Lotson, the only Black member of the McIntosh County Board of Commissioners
Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused residents to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to
skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets.In 1996, Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, was placed on the National
shrinking for decades, and some families have sold their land to outsiders who built vacation homes.Tax increases and zoning changes by the
local government in McIntosh County have been met by protests and lawsuits by Hogg Hummock residents and landowners
They have been battling for the past year to undo zoning changes approved by county commissioners in September 2023 that doubled the size of
homes allowed in Hogg Hummock.Residents say they fear larger homes will lead to tax increases that could force them to sell land their
families have held for generations.Source: AP--Agencies
