Five people drowned in the Scioto River in Powell, Ohio, over the weekend after a series of attempts to rescue a struggling swimmer turned tragic. The incident occurred Sunday evening when an individual entered the water and began to struggle.
According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, two people then entered the river in an effort to help the first swimmer. When those individuals also began to struggle, two more people entered the water. "And that’s when the tragedy started to occur," Balzer stated at a news conference Monday.
First responders arrived at the scene around 9 p.m. after a child from the group ran onto a nearby road and alerted a motorist, who then called 911. The child reported that his family was in the river. Officials found two women at the scene who were pronounced dead at a hospital. The bodies of three men were recovered from the river on Monday, according to Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department.
The identities of the deceased have not yet been released. Authorities are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the incident, and noted that no boat was present at the scene. Two children under the age of 10 who were part of the group have been placed in the care of family services.
The Scioto River is a popular area for recreation. The sheriff advised the public to use safety devices, such as life vests, when gathering near bodies of water. This incident follows a recent tragedy in Utah where flash floods claimed the lives of five family members.
