5 dead after two sets of parents rush into Ohio River to rescue struggling swimmer and all drown

 

Five people, including two sets of parents, died while trying to rescue a struggling swimmer in an Ohio river on Sunday night, July 19. 

A group of five adults, two children, and another individual was out on the Scioto River to “enjoy themselves a summer night” of fishing when the tragedy unfolded, Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said at a conference on Monday, July 20. 

At some point, one adult went into the water to swim and began struggling, prompting two other adults to dive in to try to save them. After the pair also began to struggle, another two adults went in to help, Balzer explained. 

None of them made it out of the river alive. 

Authorities rushed to the scene after a motorist noticed a “clearly distraught” young child running along a nearby road around 9 p.m. and called 911. 

The terrified child said that his “family was in the river,” cops said. 

  

Two women were then pulled from the river and taken to nearby hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. 

The bodies of three men were recovered later on Monday, July 20, from the river in Powell, north of Columbus, according to Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. 

Two sets of parents were among the five killed in the chaos, the sheriff added. 

Their deaths left several children orphaned. 

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.