At least seven people have died after part of a ferry dock collapsed in Georgia’s Sapelo Island on Saturday, local authorities say.

Georgia’s department of natural resources, which operates the dock, said at least 20 people plunged into the water when the gangway collapsed.

Multiple people have been taken to hospital and search and rescue operations are under way.

The ramp connected an outer dock where people board the ferry to another dock onshore, according to local reports.

The incident happened at approximately 16:30 local time (20:30 GMT) at the Marsh Landing Dock as crowds gathered for a cultural celebration.

It is not yet known what caused the collapse.

Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, said he and his family were “heartbroken” by the tragedy and asked for prayers “for those lost, for those still in harm’s way, and for their families”.

The governor has sent “state resources to aid in search, rescue, & recovery”, Georgia representative Buddy Carter said in a post on X.

Local authorities said the gangway has been secured and the incident is under investigation.

The annual event happening at the time of the collapse celebrates the island’s community of Hogg Hummock, which is home to a few dozen Black residents.

Hogg Hummock was founded by newly-freed former slaves from plantations in coastal Georgia who settled on Sapelo Island following the US Civil War, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation said on its website.

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.

Sapelo Island is reachable from the mainland by boat.