Local authorities said at least seven people were killed after part of a ferry dock collapsed on Sapelo Island, Georgia on Saturday.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which operates the pier, said at least 20 people plunged into the water when the pier collapsed.
Many people have been taken to hospital and search and rescue operations are underway.
According to local reports, the ramp connects an outside dock where people board ferries to another dock on shore.
The incident occurred at around 16:30 local time (20:30 GMT) at Marsh Landing Dock as crowds gathered for a cultural celebration.
It is still unclear what caused the collapse.
Brian Kemp, Georgia’s governor, said he and his family were “heartbroken” by the tragedy and asked for prayers “for those who have died, for those who are still in danger, and for their families.”
The governor sent “state resources to assist with search, rescue and recovery,” Georgia representative Buddy Carter said in a post on X.
Local authorities said the walkway has been secured and the incident is being investigated.
The annual event that took place at the time of the collapse honored the island’s Hogg Hummock community, home to several dozen Black residents.
Hogg Hummock was founded by newly freed former slaves from coastal Georgia plantations who settled on Sapelo Island after the American Civil War, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation said on its website.
Small communities originating from the slave island populations of the South, known as the Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia, are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida.
Sapelo Island can be reached from the mainland by boat.
