A Hillsboro couple died Sunday in Astoria after their vehicle drove off of Pier 39 into the Columbia River.

Yuzhi Fei, 76, and Wenyi Chen, 72, were near Rogue Pier 39 Public House before noon when their vehicle went through the railing and into the river, Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spalding said.

The police chief said bystanders and emergency crews tried to help rescue the couple.

Dan Walters, of Portland, said he was eating at Rogue with his girlfriend when he saw the crash. He said he immediately ran over, took off his shoes and jumped into the river with another man.

“We both reached in to try to grab them,” he said. “I multiple times had my finger on her seat belt, but I couldn’t pop it open.”

Several fishermen on a boat also came over to offer help, Walters said, but the car quickly submerged.

Walters said he and the other man both took turns diving down trying to free the couple before emergency crews arrived.

Floyd Holcom, the owner of Pier 39, said he was on the roof working on the building when he heard the commotion.

Holcom said he rushed over and saw the car right before it submerged. He said he ran back to Astoria Scuba and Adventure Sports to put on his dive gear. He said once he gained access into the car he had to cut the man and the woman out of their seat belts.

Once he cut the man out, Holcom said he swam him up and passed him off to emergency crews. He said he dove back down and retrieved the woman. Spalding said it took about 20 minutes to get both people out of the water.

The couple was taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria and then flown to a Portland-area hospital.

Spalding said the crash appeared to be accidental.