Two women drown after car rolls off ferry from Miami’s exclusive Fisher Island

It is unclear how their vehicle came to fall from the ferry on Tuesday afternoon

Two women died after the car they were in rolled off a ferry and sank between Miami Beach, Florida, and the exclusive enclave of Fisher Island.

It is unclear how the blue 2019 Mercedes-Benz came to fall from the ferry at approximately 5pm on Tuesday.

The Miami Herald reports that police have identified the driver as 63-year-old Emma Afra, who lives on Fisher Island, and her passenger, 75-year-old Viviane Brahms of Harrison, New York.

The women were frequently photographed together at art exhibitions and were involved in charitable organisations including raising money to combat child abuse and sex trafficking.

Miami-Dade Police said that the incident happened as the ferry was transporting vehicles from the island to Miami Beach. The car sank in Government Cut, a 50 feet deep manmade shipping channel.

Divers from Miami-Dade Fire located the vehicle later on Tuesday night with the two women unresponsive inside. By early Wednesday the car had been recovered.

The United States Coast Guard will conduct a maritime incident investigation, and Miami-Dade Police Department will conduct a death investigation.

Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber called the incident a “horrible tragedy” in a Facebook post.

Fisher Island is the wealthiest zip code in the United States and has counted Oprah Winfrey and Boris Becker among its residents.

The ferry service runs between the island and the Coast Guard station off MacArthur Causeway in Miami Beach. Ferries are open at both the front and back except for a chain which is removed to allow cars to drive on and off.

In a statement sent to Local 10 News, the Fisher Island Community Association said: “Shortly before 5pm today, a vehicle on the Fisher Island Ferry ended up in the water for reasons still unknown at this point in time. Fisher Island Community Association is actively assisting the various agencies involved in the ongoing recovery efforts. Our thoughts are with all those affected. We cannot confirm any additional details at this point in time.”