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Two children under 10 were left without guardians after the incident and are now in the custody of family services, authorities in Delaware County said
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- Five people died after attempting to rescue a swimmer in Ohio’s Scioto River during a summer outing
- Two children under 10 were left without guardians and are now in the custody of family services, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said
- Authorities urge caution near water and stress the importance of life jackets and knowing swimming abilities
Five people have died and two children have been left without guardians after a group of bystanders rushed into an Ohio river to save a person who was struggling to swim.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference on Monday, July 20, that authorities were first alerted to the incident when a person driving in the Columbus, Ohio, area called 911 around 9 p.m. local time on Sunday, July 19, after spotting a “clearly distraught” child who was running along the road looking for help.
Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said that the child had told the motorist that his family was “in the river.”
The group of people had gathered along the Scioto River in Powell, a suburb of Columbus, Balzer said.
“My understanding is that a group of people came to the river sometime last evening to enjoy themselves on a summer night, including some fishing. We believe one of the folks got in the river to go swimming, and that’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Balzer said at Monday’s press conference.
Other people in attendance quickly jumped in the water to help the first person, but they began to struggle, too.
When rescue crews arrived at the scene on Sunday night, they pulled two adult women from the water and transported them to local hospitals, where they were later pronounced dead.
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The bodies of three men were then found in the river on Monday morning, Balzer added. Two children under age 10 who were present at the scene were given to the custody of family services. Authorities are unsure if there are more people unaccounted for due to “a language barrier.”
Balzer also shared that authorities believe the people in attendance were two sets of parents, two children, and at least one other person.
The Scioto River runs for about 230 miles from west-central Ohio and flows southeast through Columbus, according to the Associated Press.
The water in the Powell area of the Scioto River reaches a maximum depth of about 40 feet, though much of the river is mostly about 20 feet deep or less in the area, the AP reported, citing the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Authorities are still notifying relatives of the victims, Balzer said on Monday.
The sheriff also encouraged anyone gathering near water in the area to be aware of lake and river conditions, and to know their swimming abilities before getting in the water.
“Know your skill level before you get in the water,” Balzer said. “Are you a confident swimmer? Make sure you have other people around in case something goes wrong to notify someone.”
“Wear a life preserver. Wear a life jacket. I get it. People think that somehow those are just for kids,” he continued. “But I tell you, they save everybody’s lives.”
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the incident, Balzer added.
Read the original article on People
