Five people have drowned after police called to sighting of ‘distraught’ child by river

Five people are confirmed to have drowned, after police were called to the sighting of a “distraught child” near a river. It’s believed five adults and two children had been out on the river, and all five adults have died.

The group of five adults and two children had been out on the Scioto River in Ohio, to “enjoy themselves a summer night” of fishing, on Sunday night. But, police were called to the sighting of a child who told a witness their family was in the river.

It has been reported that one of the adults had gone into the water, and began struggling. This prompted two others to go in to help. They too then began to struggle, and the other two adults went into the water in an attempt to save them. All five didn’t make it back out.

A motorist is said to have called authorities after spotting a “distraught child” running along a nearby road. The child said his “family was in the river,” as per police.

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Two women were pulled from the water, taken to hospital but sadly pronounced dead. Three men were also found in the water later, and they too had died. Two sets of parents were among those who lost their lives. Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has since confirmed two young children under the age of 10 have been placed in the care of family services.

“My understanding is that a group of people came to the river sometime last evening to enjoy themselves on a summer night, including some fishing. We believe one of the folks got in the river to go swimming, and that’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Balzer said in a press conference.

Those involved have not been identified, and the exact circumstances around what happened have not been confirmed. Authorities are still working to notify relatives of the victims.

“Know your skill level before you get in the water,” Balzer added. “Are you a confident swimmer? Make sure you have other people around in case something goes wrong to notify someone. Wear a life preserver. Wear a life jacket. I get it. People think that somehow those are just for kids. But I tell you, they save everybody’s lives.”

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