Five people, including two sets of parents, have drowned in Ohio’s Scioto River after diving in to rescue a struggling swimmer on Sunday night, July 19.
The tragedy unfolded near Powell, north of Columbus, where a group of five adults and two young children had gathered along the riverbank for an evening of fishing, according to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer.
The situation turned fatal when one adult entered the water to swim and quickly got into distress. Seeing the swimmer struggle, two other adults jumped into the river to help. When they also began struggling against the strong current, the remaining two adults dove in to assist.
Tragically, none of the five adults made it back to shore alive.
Emergency services were alerted around 9:00 p.m. after a motorist spotted a distraught young child running along a nearby road. The child told the driver that his family was trapped in the river, prompting an immediate 911 call.
First responders pulled two women from the water, but both were pronounced dead shortly after arriving at nearby hospitals. Search crews recovered the bodies of the three missing men on Monday afternoon, July 20.
Sheriff Balzer confirmed that two sets of parents were among the five victims, leaving several children orphaned. The two children present at the scene, both under 10, have been placed in the care of family services.
Water gauge data from the U.S. Geological Survey near the dam showed the river was running unusually high and fast on Sunday night, flowing at 350 cubic feet per second—more than double its average rate.
Authorities have not yet publicly released the identities of the victims as the investigation into the drowning continues.
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