Five people, including two women and three men, died in a tragic drowning incident in Ohio after a series of rescue attempts in the Scioto River went fatally wrong, authorities said on Monday.
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The incident occurred on Sunday evening at the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir, around 10 miles northwest of Columbus. According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, a group of seven people—two couples, an adult male friend and two children—were spending time by the river, with some fishing, when one of the adults entered the water for a swim.
Rescue attempts end in tragedy
When the swimmer began struggling in the river, two other adults entered the water to help but also got into difficulty. Two more adults then attempted to rescue them, resulting in all five being swept under the water.
"It's not unusual for one person to be struggling in the water, and other people attempt to save them without having the necessary skills, leading to multiple deaths," Sheriff Balzer said.
Children alerted authorities
The tragedy came to light after one of the two children, both under the age of 10, ran to a nearby road and flagged down a passing motorist, saying that his family was in the river.
Emergency responders recovered two women from the water on Sunday, but they were pronounced dead at a local hospital. The bodies of the three missing men were recovered the following day, officials said.
The two surviving children have since been placed in the care of the local family services agency. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims, and an investigation into the incident is underway.
