Five people, including two couples who were parents, died Sunday night while trying to save a swimmer in distress in an Ohio river, a tragedy that left several young children without their parents.
A group of five adults, two children, and another individual had gone to the Scioto River for what Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer described as a summer evening of fishing and relaxation when the outing turned deadly, he said during a Monday news conference.
According to Balzer, one adult entered the water to swim and soon began struggling. Two other adults then jumped in to help, but they also ran into trouble. Moments later, two more adults entered the river in an effort to rescue them.
None of the five adults survived.
Authorities were alerted around 9 p.m. after a passing driver spotted a visibly distraught young child running along a nearby road and called 911.
The frightened child told responding officers that his “family was in the river,” officials said.
Rescuers pulled two women from the water, and both were transported to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
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The bodies of three men were recovered later Monday from the Scioto River in Powell, north of Columbus, according to Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. Officials have not said where in the river the men were found.
Two sets of parents were among the five killed in the chaos, the sheriff added.
Two young children under the age of 10 who were with the group have since been placed in family services, Balzer said.
Authorities have not yet publicly identified the five people who drowned. The exact circumstances around their deaths remain unclear.
The river was running high and fast, flowing at a rate of 350 cubic feet per second on Sunday, according to data from a US Geological Survey water gauge at the nearby dam. The number is more than double the average rate.
Balzer urged people to ensure they have the proper safety devices and are confident in their swimming abilities before going into the water.
“Know your skill level before you get in the water. Are you a confident swimmer?” Balzer said. “Make sure you have other people around in case something goes wrong to notify someone.”
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