Five people died in the state of Ohio, in the United States, after entering a river to help a person who was at risk of drowning.
Local station WMAR-2 reported that the tragedy occurred Sunday in the Scioto River, on the outskirts of Powell, near the city of Columbus. A group of people had gathered in the area to spend the day off.
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Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said the incident began when a member of the group went swimming but suddenly found themselves in distress.
Describing what happened next, the sheriff said that “from that moment, the tragedy began to unfold.” Others entered the water to rescue the person, but the current swept them away as well.
On Sunday, emergency crews responding to the scene found two women in the river. They were rushed to the hospital, but doctors were unable to save them.
The search operation continued Monday. Authorities recovered the bodies of three other men from the water, bringing the final death toll to five.
The alarm was raised through a call to the 911 emergency number. A driver passing through the area saw a frightened child running alone along the road and calling for help, and then alerted the authorities.
Two children under the age of 10 survived and have been placed temporarily in the care of social services while awaiting collection by relatives. One of them is the child who managed to leave the scene and raise the alarm about the incident.
Local authorities are continuing their investigation to determine all the circumstances surrounding the tragedy, in which five people died while trying to save another person.
