A tragic incident in the Columbus suburb of Powell has resulted in the deaths of five people in the Scioto River. According to authorities, the event unfolded on Sunday when a group gathered at the river and one individual entered the water to go swimming. As the swimmer began to struggle, others in the group jumped in to assist, leading to a series of events that Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer described as a tragedy that began when the others also started to struggle.
The alarm was raised after a motorist spotted a frightened child who had been with the group and was running along a nearby road. The motorist called 911, prompting a response from rescue crews. Two children under the age of 10 have since been placed in the care of family services, including the child who sought help.
Search operations conducted on Sunday resulted in the recovery of two women, who were pronounced dead at a hospital. On Monday, the bodies of three men were also recovered from the river, confirmed Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department. The incident occurred just two days after a separate tragedy in southern Utah, where five members of a family were killed when a flash flood swept through canyons during a hiking trip.
