Investigators interviewing witnesses to Saturday’s tragic gangway collapse on Sapelo Island and examining evidence won’t have a quick answer to what caused the structure to give way, Georgia Commissioner of Natural Resources Walter Rabon said Tuesday.

“This could go for a week if not months,” Rabon said after updating members of the state Board of Natural Resources on the incident at their monthly meeting in Atlanta.

As many as 40 people may have been on the gangway late Saturday afternoon preparing to take a state-operated ferry from the island’s Marsh Landing Dock back to the mainland when the 80-foot aluminum structure buckled and collapsed.

About 700 people were on the island that day for the annual Sapelo Cultural Day celebration of the Georgia barrier island’s Gullah Geechee community, Rabon said Tuesday.

Of up to 20 people who went into the water, seven died and several were injured.

Two of the injured are still hospitalized, Rabon said

“There’s no telling how many lives were saved thanks to the actions of first responders and Good Samaritans,” he said.

Rabon said the gangway passed its most recent inspections, one by manufacturer Crescent Equipment Co. last December and another by Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff after Hurricane Helene struck the area late last month.

“It showed no damage, topside and bottom side,” he said.

Rabon said the number of people on the gangway shouldn’t have caused the collapse.

“It should have been able to support a much larger number,” he said.

Rabon declined to speculate on what did cause the collapse.

“We’ve got multiple staff there interviewing witnesses,” he said. “This is an ongoing investigation.”

Families of some of the Black victims have hired a team of civil rights law lawyers, who vowed Monday to conduct their own investigation that could lead to a lawsuit.

The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus also weighed in on the tragedy.

“This unnecessary loss of life is heartbreaking, and as representatives of the community, we owe it to the victims and their families to seek answers and advocate for accountability,” said state Rep. Carl Gilliard, D-Savannah, the caucus’ chairman.

On Tuesday, Board of Natural Resources members observed a moment of silence for another of the victims, Charles Houston of Darien, who served as a chaplain on the island for the DNR.

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