Woman Pulled From Submerged Car Dies

A woman who drove off a loading barge near the Queen Mary on Tuesday and was rescued from her submerged car by Long Beach Fire Department divers later died, authorities said.

The driver told rescuers she had driven off the barge near Pier G and was pulled from her vehicle in about 30-feet-deep water, Long Beach Fire Department Capt. Rich Brandt said. Police and firefighters were called to the scene, not far from where cruise ships board, at about 1:05 p.m.

The woman was described as middle-aged but her name was not immediately released. It was not clear if the driver accidentally or intentionally plunged off the loading barge, said Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman Lisa Massacani.

The woman was in critical condition when Long Beach Fire Department divers pulled her out of the car and got her to a rescue boat, which took her to shore. She was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital, Brandt said.

Massacani said the pier is in an industrial area on the same "peninsula" at which the Queen Mary is berthed, and where passenger cruise ships depart and arrive. She said the police department would release a fuller report Wednesday on the case.

-- City News Service contributed to this report.