MCINTOSH COUNTY, Ga. — A beloved chaplain, retired minister, husband and father were just a few titles given to Charles L. Houston, one of the seven people killed in the Sapelo Island gangway collapse Saturday afternoon. The tragedy also left six people critically injured.
The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) said on Facebook that Houston "served our agency faithfully since 1997, offering unwavering support during critical times and providing guidance to our Trooper and MCCD Schools' cadets."
Houston was from Darien, Ga., two others who died were from Atlanta, and the four remaining deceased victims were from Jacksonville. Their names are listed below:
- Jacqueline Crews Carter, 75, Jacksonville
- Cynthia Gibbs, 74, Jacksonville
- Charles L. Houston, 77, Darien, Ga.
- William Johnson, Jr., 73, Atlanta
- Carlotta McIntosh, 93, Jacksonville
- Isaiah Thomas, 79, Jacksonville
- Queen Welch, 76, Atlanta
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon said in a press conference held Sunday, that the collapse occurred as crowds gathered on the island for a celebration of its Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants. Around 700 people were on the island at the time.
Rabon said guests were in the process of loading onto the ferry when the gangway that led from the dock to the ferry collapsed. There were two scheduled ferry runs after. Rabon said the initial findings of the investigation show a "catastrophic failure" with the gangway, which he later called "structural." He then explained that the gangway was completed in November 2021 and inspections were "routine," with the last one happening in December 2023.
The Critical Incident Reconstruction Team of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation will be conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the gangway collapse.
"Our hearts continue to go out to the victims, their families, and all of those involved in Saturday’s tragic occurrence on Sapelo Island," Rabon said in a statement shared with First Coast News Monday. "We will allow the investigators to take their time and conduct a thorough investigation."
Sapelo Island is about 60 miles south of Savannah and 38 miles northeast of Brunswick.
