Five people died Sunday while trying to rescue a swimmer in difficulty in an Ohio river.
It was a “visibly upset” child running along a state highway near the Scioto River who alerted a motorist.
“The child said his family was in the river,” Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said during a press briefing Monday, reported by ABC News.
Emergency services first recovered two women, who were rushed to hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The bodies of three men were later discovered by authorities the next day, according to sheriff’s office spokesperson Tracy Whited.
The group was on the river fishing when one of the adults decided to jump into the water. “That’s when the tragedy began,” said Sheriff Blazer.
Faced with the swimmer’s difficulties, two people dove in to help him, soon followed by two others who jumped in turn to try to rescue those already in the water.
Among the five victims were two couples, authorities said. Two children under ten years old belonging to the group were entrusted to social services.
The investigation remains open to establish the exact circumstances of the tragedy.
