Five drown in Ohio rescue attempt on Scioto River

Five people drowned in the Scioto River in Powell, Ohio, on Sunday, July 19, 2026, after a series of attempted rescues of a struggling swimmer turned fatal. The tragedy was discovered when a passing motorist saw a distressed child running along a nearby road and called 911.

According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, the incident began Sunday evening when a member of a group gathered by the river entered the water to swim and began to struggle. Others then entered the river in an attempt to help, but they also began to struggle in the water. The sheriff described a chain reaction where individuals entered the water to assist those already in distress.

The emergency came to light around 9 p.m. when a motorist on State Route 257 spotted a distraught child, later described as being under 10 years old, running along the road. The child told the motorist his family was in the river, prompting the 911 call. Multiple first responders from fire and police agencies arrived at the scene and launched a search.

During the initial response on Sunday night, crews recovered two adult women from the water. They were transported to nearby hospitals but were later pronounced dead. The...