A summer night of fishing turned into an unthinkable tragedy on the Scioto River in Ohio, when five adults—including two sets of parents—lost their lives in a desperate chain of rescue attempts.
According to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the group had gathered Sunday evening to enjoy the water when one adult went in for a swim and began struggling. Two others jumped in to help, but they too started to go under. Then two more adults dove in after them.
None of them made it out alive.
Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer confirmed that five people drowned, leaving behind multiple young children who are now orphans. Two children under the age of 10 were found wandering along a nearby road, crying and telling a concerned motorist that their family was in the river. That driver called 911 around 9 p.
m.
Emergency crews pulled two women from the water Sunday night, but both were pronounced dead at hospitals. The bodies of three men were recovered Monday from the river in Powell, north of Columbus.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the victims. Two sets of parents are among the deceased, the sheriff added.
The river was running dangerously high and fast that night, with water flow more than double the average rate, according to US Geological Survey data.
“Know your skill level before you get in the water,” Sheriff Balzer urged, calling for proper safety devices and caution.
The investigation is ongoing, and the community is left wondering: how do you prepare for such a heartbreaking chain of events?
