'My family is in the river': Distraught child flags down driver for help after 5 adults drown in Scioto River

COLUMBUS, OHIO: A frightened child running barefoot along a dark Ohio roadway on Sunday, July 19, became the first sign that an unimaginable tragedy had unfolded on the Scioto River.

Moments after flagging down a passing driver, the child reportedly uttered a heartbreaking plea "My family is in the river", setting off an emergency response that would uncover one of the state's most devastating drowning incidents this summer.

Authorities later confirmed that five adults, including two married couples, lost their lives after a rescue attempt spiraled into disaster, leaving multiple young children without their parents.

Child's plea leads rescuers to tragedy 

The tragedy came to light only because a passing motorist noticed the visibly distressed child near the roadway around 9 pm and immediately called 911.

Emergency crews rushed to the Scioto River in Delaware County, where they discovered that several members of the child's family had disappeared in the water. Rescue operations began immediately.

Two women were pulled from the river during the initial response and transported to nearby hospitals, where both were pronounced dead.

Search teams continued combing the area before recovering the bodies of three men the following day, bringing the total number of victims to five.

Officials, on Monday revealed that two sets of parents were among those who died.

The children who survived the ordeal have since been placed under the care of family services while relatives are being contacted.

Simple outing turns tragic

Investigators said the group had gathered along the Scioto River for a summer evening outdoors when one adult entered the water and began experiencing trouble.

As others attempted to help, the emergency rapidly escalated.

Additional family members entered the river in successive rescue attempts, but the powerful current prevented anyone from making it safely back to shore.

Authorities have not publicly identified the victims, and the investigation into the exact sequence of events remains ongoing.

Data from the Geological Survey indicated that the Scioto River was flowing at roughly 350 cubic feet per second on the night of the incident, more than twice its normal average creating dangerous conditions even for confident swimmers.

Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer urged residents to assess river conditions carefully before entering the water and warned that rescue attempts can quickly become fatal when swift currents are involved.