- Five adults drowned while attempting to rescue a struggling swimmer in the Scioto River during a family outing in Powell, Ohio.
- Two children, both under 10 years old, survived the incident and are now in the care of local family services.
- The Scioto River was running unusually high and fast, contributing to the dangerous conditions at the time of the drownings.
POWELL, OHIO — Central Ohio is mourning another tragedy involving young children who survived while adults around them died. Months after two children were found physically unharmed inside a Columbus home where their parents had been killed, five adults drowned during a family outing along the Scioto River, leaving two children in the care of local family services.
The deaths occurred Sunday evening, July 19, after a group gathered beside the river near Powell, a suburb north of Columbus, for what authorities described as an evening of fishing and recreation.
One adult entered the river to swim and began struggling in the water. Two others went in to help but also found themselves in difficulty. Two more adults then entered the river in another attempt to rescue the group.
None of the five adults made it out alive.
Child Ran to Road Looking for Help
Authorities were first alerted at around 9 p.m. when a motorist saw a visibly distressed child running along a nearby state highway.
Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said the child told the driver that his family was in the river. The motorist immediately called 911, leading police officers, firefighters, divers and other emergency crews to the area.
First responders located two women in the water Sunday night. Both were transported to hospitals but were later pronounced dead.
Search crews continued working into Monday for three men who were believed to still be in the river.
Their bodies were recovered during the second day of the operation, bringing the total number of deaths to five. Authorities have not disclosed exactly where each victim was found.
Two Sets of Parents Believed to Be Among Victims
Investigators believe the group included two sets of parents, two children and at least one other adult. Officials have not yet publicly confirmed the exact family relationships between the victims and the surviving children.
The five adults consisted of two women and three men. Their names and additional identifying information were being withheld while authorities worked to notify relatives.
The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office said the incident remained under investigation and that officials were still working to establish the full sequence of events.
The two surviving children are both younger than 10. They were placed in the care of Delaware County Job and Family Services following the tragedy.
Authorities have not released their ages or explained who will care for them permanently.
River Was Running High and Fast
The Scioto River was running unusually high and fast at the time of the drownings.
Data from a nearby U.S. Geological Survey monitoring station showed the river flowing at approximately 350 cubic feet per second on Sunday. That represented more than a fourfold increase over three days and was more than twice the average flow rate for the area.
Investigators have not officially determined whether the river’s increased speed caused or directly contributed to the deaths. However, the conditions would have made swimming and attempting an untrained rescue more dangerous.
Sheriff Balzer said it is common for one water emergency to lead to multiple deaths when people without the necessary training or equipment enter the water to help someone who is struggling.
Sheriff Urges Public to Wear Life Jackets
Balzer urged residents to check water conditions, understand their swimming ability and use life jackets or other flotation devices before entering rivers, lakes or other bodies of water.
“There’s no shame in wearing a life jacket,” the sheriff said during Monday’s briefing, stressing that flotation devices can save the lives of both children and adults.
He also advised people visiting the water to make sure someone remains safely on shore and can contact emergency services when something goes wrong.
The deaths have left investigators and the surrounding community searching for answers about how an ordinary summer evening turned into a disaster.
As of July 21, authorities had not released the victims’ identities or announced any evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the five drownings.
For more tragic incidents in which swimmers found themselves in life-threatening situations, watch our video here:
