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Five individuals have lost their lives in an Ohio river tragedy after several members of a group jumped in to rescue a struggling swimmer, authorities confirmed Monday.
A passing motorist dialed 911 after spotting a terrified child from the group desperately running along a nearby road to raise the alarm, Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer revealed at a Monday press conference.
The group had assembled Sunday along the Scioto River in Powell, a Columbus suburb, when one member decided to take a swim. "And that's when the tragedy started to occur," Balzer said, noting that others who leaped in to assist quickly found themselves in difficulty as well.
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Search and rescue teams combing the water late Sunday recovered two women, who were later pronounced dead at a local hospital, Balzer confirmed. The bodies of three men were subsequently discovered in the river on Monday, according to Delaware County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Tracy Whited.
The devastating incident occurred just two days after five family members perished in southern Utah when a flash flood tore through picturesque red rock canyons during a hiking trip.
The Ohio sheriff confirmed that the child who fled to seek help, triggering the 911 call, has been placed in the care of family services, along with a second child under the age of 10.
Officials are actively working to notify the victims' next of kin, Balzer said, urging anyone near bodies of water to remain vigilant about conditions and take appropriate safety precautions.
"Know your skill level before you get in the water. Are you a confident swimmer?" Balzer said. "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. But I tell you, they save everybody's lives."
The Scioto River stretches approximately 230 miles (370 kilometers) from west-central Ohio, winding southeast through Columbus, the state capital, before meeting the Ohio River at Portsmouth in the southern region of the state.
Authorities assembled Monday at a grassy location near a reservoir in Powell, a northern Columbus suburb. Roughly a dozen individuals waited nearby on Riverside Drive, a local thoroughfare, ready to provide statements to officials.
Riverside Drive serves as the primary north-south route along the river, with predominantly residential neighborhoods running through Powell and the adjacent suburb of Dublin. The eastern riverbank features various parks, public docks and fishing spots accessible from Riverside Drive.
The western bank is lined with large, secluded properties featuring private boat docks along the waterfront.
The staging location sits less than a mile (kilometer) from a designated fishing spot on the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir. Columbus constructed the reservoir in 1925, primarily to supply water to city residents.
While officials have yet to pinpoint the exact location where the victims were discovered, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports that water depths in the area reach a maximum of about 40 feet (12 meters), though most of the surrounding waters measure around 20 feet (6 meters) or less.
