Teacher, Student Recovered After Drowning During Iowa School Trip

The bodies of a teacher and a fifth-grade student have been recovered from the Coralville Reservoir following a tragic incident during a school field trip. Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin, and Ahmed Osman, 10, of Iowa City, were identified as the victims by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.

Jorgensen, a fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary School, and Osman, a student in her class, were participating in a School of the Wild field trip at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area on Tuesday when the incident occurred. The tragedy began shortly after noon Tuesday when deputies responded to a report of people in the water near the Coralville Reservoir spillway.

First responders recovered an adult from the water at 12:43 p.m. and pronounced them dead at the scene. A search for a missing child commenced and continued through the afternoon and evening before being suspended overnight. The search resumed Wednesday morning, and the missing juvenile was recovered at 1:24 p.m.

The Iowa City Community School District expressed its heartbreak over the loss of Jorgensen and Osman, describing them as deeply valued members of the school community. Counselors and additional support staff have been made available at Borlaug Elementary for students and staff.

School of the Wild field trips have been canceled for the foreseeable future. The program is designed to provide elementary and middle school students with outdoor educational experiences. Multiple agencies, including the Johnson County Metro Dive Team, local fire departments, emergency management, University of Iowa police, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State Patrol, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, assisted in the search and recovery operation.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office stated that the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation, and no further details have been released.