At least 7 dead after ferry dock gangway collapses on Georgia's Sapelo Island

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At least 7 dead after ferry dock gangway collapses on Georgia's Sapelo Island

2024-10-20 09:48 Last Updated At：09:50

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Authorities said at least seven people were killed Saturday when part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia's Sapelo Island, where crowds had gathered for a fall celebration by the island's tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants.

Eight people were taken to 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 said.

“There was no collision" with a boat or anything else, Jones said. "The thing just collapsed. We don’t know why.”

Helicopters and boats with side-scanning sonar were used in the search, according to a Department of Natural Resources statement.

Among the dead was a chaplain for the state agency, Jones said.

There were at least 20 people on the gangway when it collapsed, he said. The gangway connected an outer dock where people board the ferry to another dock onshore.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he and his family were “heartbroken by today's tragedy on Sapelo Island.”

“As state and local first responders continue to work this active scene, we ask that all Georgians join us in praying for those lost, for those still in harm’s way, and for their families,” Kemp said on the social platform X.

President Joe Biden said federal officials were ready to provide any assistance needed.

“What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation,” Biden said in a statement. “Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene.”

Sapelo Island is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) south of Savannah, reachable from the mainland by boat.

The deadly collapse happened as island residents, family members and tourists gathered for Cultural Day, an annual fall event spotlighting the island’s tiny community of Hogg Hummock, home to a few dozen Black residents. The community of dirt roads and modest homes was founded after the Civil War by former slaves from the cotton plantation of Thomas Spalding.

Hogg Hummock's slave descendants are extremely close, having been “bonded by family, bonded by history and bonded by struggle,” said Roger Lotson, the only Black member of the McIntosh County Board of Commissioners. His district includes Sapelo Island.

“Everyone is family, and everyone knows each other,” Lotson said. “In any tragedy, especially like this, they are all one. They’re all united. They all feel the same pain and the same hurt.”

Small communities descended from enslaved island populations in the South — known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia — are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. 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 Register of Historic Places, the official list of the United States’ treasured historic sites.

But the community's population has been 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.

Cher, Foreigner, Dionne Warwick inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

2024-10-20 09:37 Last Updated At：09:41

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dua Lipa and Cher opened the Rock & Roll Hall Fame induction ceremony on Saturday night singing “Believe” before giving way to a medley of rump shakers by funk masters Kool & the Gang, rock classics by Foreigner and Peter Frampton, and a powerhouse performance by Dionne Warwick, bringing the house down at 83.

The inductees this year also include: Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, the late Jimmy Buffett, MC5, the late Alexis Korner, the late John Mayall, the late Norman Whitfield and the late Big Mama Thornton.

Zendaya inducted Cher. “Where do I even begin? Cher is not one person,” the actor said. "Her name is just as legendary as her legacy." Zendaya noted that Cher, 78, is the only woman to have a No. 1 hit on a Billboard chart in each of the past seven decades. "Cher has got the goods," Zendaya said before Cher performed a rocking version of “If I Could Turn Back Time.”

In her speech, Cher said she was inspired by Cinderella and thanked her mother for instilling in her to always get back up after defeat. “The one thing I got from my mom is to never give up,” she said. “I never give up. I'm talking to the women — down and out, we keep going.”

Chuck D inducted Kool & the Gang, saying “This is a long-due celebration.” The band had 12 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including the 1980 chart-topper “Celebration” as well as “Cherish,” “Get Down On It,” “Jungle Boogie,” “Ladies Night” and “Joanna.” They’ve been eligible for the hall since 1994.

The Roots helped the band do a medley of hits that got the crowd grooving — led by Robert “Kool” Bell — bass guitarist, co-founder and last original member — and longtime singer James “JT” Taylor. Confetti shot into the arena and Taylor asked the crowd to use their cellphone lights as he read off the names of 10 members who were critical to the band's success.

Warwick arrived at the ceremony only a few days after attending a memorial to her longtime friend and collaborator, Cissy Houston, in Newark, New Jersey. Teyana Taylor called her “truly one of a kind” as well as telling off the teleprompter operator for not putting "Ms." before her name. Jennifer Hudson sang “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” and was joined by Warwick, who also sang “Walk On By.”

She said this was the third time she was nominated. “I am so pleased to be here,” she said. “I'm just going to say this and get off the stage: Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Sammy Hagar introduced Foreigner, and thanked their fans for their tenacity to demand inclusion. The English-American rockers — with hits like “Cold as Ice,” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You” — topped the charts in the 1970s and ’80s but never made it into the Hall — much less a ballot — until last year, despite being eligible for more than 20 years.

Hagar noted that Foreigner currently tours without any original members. “That's how good the songs are,” he said. “Who deserves this more than Foreigner?” Demi Lovato and Slash joined the touring Foreigner for “Feels Like the First Time” and Hagar then took lead for "Hot Blooded." Kelly Clarkson thrilled with a powerful “I Want to Know What Love Is” but the arena erupted when original singer Lou Gramm joined her. Gramm thanked guitarist Mick Jones, sidelined in New York by Parkinson’s disease.

Saturday's induction ceremony is being held at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, where the Hall has promised to return to every few years. It streams live on Disney+ and a special with performance highlights will air on ABC on Jan. 1.

Roger Daltrey of The Who inducted Frampton. “It’s about bloody time!” he said. “Peter has had the most amazing career of all time. It’s probably easier to name the people he hasn’t worked with than the people he has,” Daltrey said.

Frampton earned his way into the Hall in large part on the strength of his 1976 live double album “Frampton Comes Alive!” — buoyed by the hit songs “Show Me the Way” and ″Baby, I Love Your Way” — that Rolling Stone magazine listed among the 50 greatest live albums of all time. Daltrey noted he usually plays with a smile.

A smiling Frampton — who played at last year's ceremony to honor Sheryl Crow — brought on Keith Urban to trade licks on “Do You Feel Like I Do” and showed why he is considered one of rock's great guitarists. He hooked up his famous talk box effect and the crowd roared. “I really am a lucky guy to have this amazing career,” he said, thanking David Bowie for resurrecting his career after it had spun out.

Artists must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years before they’re eligible for induction. Nominees were voted on by more than 1,000 artists, historians and music industry professionals.

John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises at iHeartMedia and the chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said before the ceremony that he and the Hall are trying to bring the inductions back to rock's roots, not expand the category.

“What I’m trying to do is bring over the aperture back up to where it was in the late '50s, where you had Brenda Lee and Hank Williams right next to Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, the Beatles. It was, at that time, this gumbo of artists. It kind of narrowed down over the years. All I can do is bring it back to its original roots.”

Julia Roberts will help induct the Dave Matthews Band — she's a self-avowed superfan and she appeared in the band’s video for the 2005 single, “Dreamgirl.” Busta Rhymes will be performing with A Tribe Called Quest.