POWELL, Ohio — Five people attempting to help another person who was struggling to swim in a central Ohio river died, authorities said.
During a news conference on Monday, Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said that first responders pulled two women from the Scioto River in the Columbus suburb of Powell, WCMH reported. They were taken to area hospitals where they were pronounced dead, the sheriff said.
The search for the three missing men continued through Monday, and their bodies were recovered in the afternoon, sheriff’s office spokesperson Tracy Whited told ABC News.
The group had gathered along the river to fish when one of the adults went into the river for a swim, The Associated Press reported.
“That’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Balzer said at a news conference, adding that the others who jumped into the water also began struggling.
Balzer said a motorist called 911 at about 9:15 p.m. ET on Sunday after spotting a frightened child who was running along a nearby road to seek help, WCMH reported.
According to the AP, the river was running high and fast. Data from a U.S. Geological Survey water gauge at the nearby dam showed that the river’s water was flowing at a rate of about 350 cubic feet per second on Sunday. That was four times the speed over a three-day span and more than double the average rate, the news organization reported.
An investigation is ongoing, authorities said.