A group gathering along the Scioto River in suburban Columbus turned deadly Sunday when efforts to rescue a struggling swimmer cascaded into a mass tragedy, leaving five people dead and two young children orphaned.
The disaster unfolded in Powell, a community north of the state capital, after one member of the group entered the water for a swim. When that person began struggling, others rushed in to help, but quickly found themselves in the same predicament.
Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer described the sequence at a Monday news conference: "And that's when the tragedy started to occur." Those who jumped in to assist the original swimmer soon began struggling themselves, unable to stay afloat in the river's current.
Rescue crews pulled two women from the water on Sunday evening. Both were transported to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The search continued into Monday, when rescuers recovered the bodies of three men submerged in the river.
A motorist's quick action may have prevented a larger loss of life. The driver spotted a frightened child who had been with the group running along a nearby road and immediately dialed 911, alerting authorities to the emergency unfolding at the water's edge. Two children under age 10, including the child who ran to get help, were placed in the care of family services following the incident.
The tragedy mirrors another water-related disaster that claimed five lives just days earlier in southern Utah, where a family was swept away by a flash flood while hiking through canyons.
Author James Rodriguez: "The instinct to save someone in danger is deeply human, but these cases underscore how quickly water can become lethal for would-be rescuers who lack training or proper equipment."
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