Sorrow [in-に] engulfed that woman [topic-は] friends [plural-たち] [by-に] was-comforted.
悲しみに暮れる means 'to be engulfed in sorrow' — 暮れる here means 'to be consumed by.' The modifying clause 悲しみに暮れる precedes 女性. 慰められた is the passive of 慰める ('to comfort').