Newport, R.I., authorities find three women dead in partially submerged vehicle off pier

By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

The bodies of three women were discovered this morning in a car that was found partially submerged off a pier in Newport, R.I., police said.

Around 6:30 a.m., a fuel delivery driver observed a vehicle flipped upside down in the water off the Newport Shipyard and Marina, Newport police said. There is a 6-to-10-foot drop to the water from the stone pier.

Newport police and firefighters responded to the scene, along with the dive team from the Jamestown, R.I., fire department, said Petty Officer Robert Simpson, a Coast Guard spokesman in Boston.

The vehicle was recovered around 8:30 a.m., Simpson said. The three women were found dead inside, police said.

There are no indications that speed or foul play were factors in the accident, Newport police said.

A dense fog warning was in place until 9 a.m. in Newport, according to the National Weather Service.

The investigation is ongoing.