Five people died while trying to rescue drowning swimmer on Ohio River

Five people drowned in an Ohio river on Sunday after multiple members of a group attempted to rescue a struggling swimmer, an emergency that was discovered after a passing motorist spotted a distressed young child running on a nearby road.

According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, the child’s presence on the road prompted a 911 call from the motorist, alerting law enforcement to the unfolding tragedy along the Scioto River in Powell, a suburb of Columbus, the Associated Press reported.

The incident began when one member of the group entered the water to swim and quickly began to experience distress. Several other individuals then entered the river in an effort to assist, but they also began to struggle in the water, Balzer said during a Monday news conference.

A search and rescue operation was launched Sunday, during which crews recovered two women from the water. Both were transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced dead, Balzer said.

The search continued into the following day. Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, confirmed that the bodies of three men were recovered from the river on Monday.

At the scene, law enforcement agents staged their operations at a grassy area along Riverside Drive, a largely residential route running north and south along the river. About a dozen people stood by waiting to speak with authorities at the staging area, which sits less than a mile from a designated public fishing area on the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir.

Though officials did not confirm exactly where the victims were recovered, representatives from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources noted that water depths in that area of the reservoir can reach a maximum of 40 feet, though it is mostly 20 feet deep or less, according to the Associated Press. The reservoir was originally built by the city of Columbus in 1925 to provide drinking water to local residents.

Following the incident, Balzer urged those gathering near water to take strict safety precautions before entering the water.

“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 for approximately 230 miles through Ohio, flowing southeast through Columbus before meeting the Ohio River in Portsmouth.

The incident follows another recent water-related tragedy in southern Utah, in which five family members were killed two days prior after being caught in a flash flood during a canyon hiking excursion.