Tragedy in Ohio: Five die trying to save drowning person in river

Five adults died after attempting to rescue a person who was drowning in the Scioto River near the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir in Delaware County, Ohio, authorities said. The incident unfolded on Sunday evening about 10 miles northwest of Columbus.

A group of at least seven people — two couples, a friend who was with them and two children — had been at the riverbank around dusk. Officials say some members of the group were fishing when one adult entered the water to swim and ran into trouble.

Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer described a rapid chain of events: as the swimmer struggled, two adults went in to help and also began to sink. Two more people then entered the river trying to save them, and all five adults disappeared beneath the surface.

One of the children, both under the age of ten, ran to a nearby road and flagged down a passing motorist to report that family members were in the water. Emergency crews arrived quickly and recovered the bodies of the two women first; they were later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The remains of the three missing men were located the following day, the sheriff’s office said. Local child protection services took custody of the two youngsters who had been present during the rescue attempt.

Investigators have not released the victims’ names publicly. Balzer warned reporters that it is common for untrained bystanders to become victims themselves when attempting water rescues, and urged people to avoid entering swift or cold water to attempt rescues without proper equipment or training.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the drownings, and officials asked anyone with information or footage of the incident to contact the Delaware County sheriff’s office.