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An attempt to save a struggling swimmer in an Ohio river left five people dead over the weekend, authorities said Monday .
A group gathered Sunday evening at the Scioto River in Powell, a Columbus suburb, when one of them went into the water to go swimming.
“And that’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said at a news conference Monday. Others then jumped into the river in an attempt to help the swimmer.
“I understand that one person got in the river, was struggling in the water. Two people went in to try to save them,” Balzer said. Those people started struggling in the river, Now we have two additional people go in the water.”
Officials stand at a staging area after an operation to recover multiple people who died while trying to save someone from the Scioto River in the Columbus suburb of Powell, Ohio, Monday, July 20, 2026. (Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP)
At around 9 p.m., a “distraught” child with the group ran onto a nearby road and was spotted by a motorist who called 911. The child said his family was in the river, Balzer said.
First responders arrived and found two women, who were pronounced dead at a hospital, Balzer said.
The bodies of three men were found in the river on Monday, Tracy Whited, a spokesperson for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, told The Associated Press. The identities of the deceased have not been released.
No boat was at the scene and it was unclear if alcohol played a factor in the tragedy, the sheriff said.
A boat sits moored on the Scioto River near Powell, Ohio, where multiple people died after several went into the water to help another person who was struggling to swim Monday. (Jay LaPrete/AP)
Two children under the age of 10 that were part of the group have been placed in the care of family services, said Balzer.
The sheriff urged the public to have safety devices like life vests on hand when gathering near bodies of water.
The 230-mile Scioto River is a popular area for locals and boasts fish populations of bass, saugeye, catfish, and carp, according to publiclands.com.
A section of the Scioto River shore is seen in Powell, Ohio. (Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP)
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The deaths happened days after five family members were killed in Utah after a flash flood swept through the region.
