British woman dies in US harbour car plunge

Updated
British woman dies in US harbour car plunge
British woman dies in US harbour car plunge

Stock photo, Newport Harbour, Rhode Island: Getty


A woman from Wales was among three people found dead in submerged car at a shipyard in Rhode Island, America.

Louise Owen, 39, originally from Llanbrynmair, was found in the car with two friends who all worked on luxury yachts in Newport Harbour.

The car was found sticking out of around 4ft of water on Friday morning, and is thought to have been in the water for several hours before being discovered.

Police believe the driver missed a turn in foggy conditions and plunged into the harbour.

The other two women who perished were named as Jennifer Way of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and Femmetje Staring from the Netherlands. All of the women were 39.

Peter Wilson, co-founder and co-owner of Newport-based MCM, which represents yacht owners, said the three women became close friends while working in the yachting industry.

According to the BBC, he said: "Emails and messages of condolence have been flooding in from every corner of the world. All three women were highly respected in their fields and enormously well-liked. We will miss them all terribly.

"Losing any one of these remarkable women would be sad enough, but to lose all three as a result of this one heartbreaking accident causes devastation of immense proportions."

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office said: "We are looking into reports of the death of a British national on Rhode Island on 5 October and we stand ready to provide consular assistance to the next of kin."

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