Five die near Columbus after rescue attempt turns fatal

Five people died in the Scioto River near Powell, Ohio, after several members of a group went into the water to help another person who was struggling to swim, turning a rescue into a mass drowning. Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said a motorist later called 911 after spotting a frightened child from the group running along a nearby road.

By late Monday, crews had recovered all five victims from the river, ending a search that began after the water emergency near Columbus. Balzer said the child had been with the group, and the roadside sighting gave authorities their first indication that something had gone badly wrong on the water.

The deaths underscore how quickly a river can overwhelm a rescue. In a pool, the water is controlled and the edges are visible; in a river, current can pull one person under and drag in anyone who enters to help. That is why the safer response is to call 911 immediately, keep sight of the person in trouble, and throw a flotation device, rope, or anything that can reach the victim from shore rather than jumping in and creating a second emergency.

The Scioto River recovery involved more than one body pull over the course of the afternoon. Crews recovered a third body around 1 p.m. July 20, then found two more male bodies about an hour later, according to reports from the scene. The sequence matched the chain reaction that unfolded when the first swimmer in distress drew in would-be rescuers, leaving authorities with five dead in a single incident.

Balzer’s account put the focus on the speed of the collapse: one child running down a road, one motorist making the 911 call, and a river emergency that expanded in minutes. The final toll left five people dead in Delaware County and a stark example of why river rescues demand distance, restraint, and trained responders, not impulsive dives into moving water.