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DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) – Two of the five victims who died in a tragic incident on Ohio’s Scioto River have been named.
Four of the five victims — two married couples — were Honduran citizens. Of those, two have been identified by the Honduran Foreign Ministry as Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, and Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28, ministry officials told the Associated Press.
The other three victims, all adults, have not yet been named.
The drownings occurred near the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir Park in Delaware County just before 9:15 p.m. Sunday, when police received reports of an emergency in the Scioto River. A motorist called 911 after noticing a child who was “clearly distraught.”
The 911 calls report that a child “4-to-6 years of age” was walking along Riverside Drive calling out “mama,” and that the child said his family was in the water. That child and a second child were placed in the care of Franklin County Children Services. Officials identified the children as Dias’ and Regalado’s children.
Two women initially rescued from the river were taken to a hospital, but both were pronounced dead shortly afterward. At the time, search and rescue teams were looking for three additional victims still believed to be in the river. Six boats, a helicopter and thermal imaging drones assisted in the search.
On Monday afternoon, officials confirmed the bodies of three men were recovered from the river.
Flabia Zamora, with the Honduran Foreign Ministry, said once all five have been identified, the ministry will begin the process of having their bodies returned home.
Authorities believe the group was there to fish before one person began to swim in the river but began to struggle. It is believed that others entered the water in an attempt to rescue the swimmer.
According to data from a U.S. Geological Survey water gauge at the nearby dam, the water was flowing at a rate of about 350 cubic feet (10 cubic meters) per second on Sunday — more than a fourfold increase over a three-day span, and more than double the average rate.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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