THE bodies of a school teacher and a student have been recovered from a lake after an incident during a field trip.

Iowa elementary school teacher Hannah Jorgensen, 24, and 10-year-old student Ahmed Osman both went missing on Tuesday at Lake Macbride State Park.

Iowa elementary school teacher Hannah Jorgensen, 24, whose body was recovered on Tuesday, has been hailed a ‘hero’ after reportedly trying to save Ahmed Osman, 10

Ten-year-old Ahmed has been remembered as a ‘joyous’ and ‘amazing’ kid

Hannah was recovered from the Coralville Reservoir in the park on Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed.

The following day, dive teams found Ahmed who had also died in the lake.

They had been part of a group on a ‘School of the Wild’ field trip at the park on Tuesday when the pair somehow ended up in trouble in the water.

The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain unclear.

Just after noon on Tuesday, deputies arrived at Lake Macbride after calls of people in the water.

A major search-and-rescue operation was launched to try to find the missing pair and the teacher’s body was found at 12:43pm.

Dive teams, fire crews, state patrol, medical units, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources all continued efforts to locate Ahmed who was still missing.

The search was halted overnight and started again in the early hours of Wednesday.

The ten-year-old was eventually recovered from the water at 1:24pm.

“This is a really difficult time for us right now,” Hannah’s grieving mother Amanda told the Daily Mail after news of the teacher’s death was confirmed.

Meanwhile, Ahmed’s family have hailed his teacher a “hero” at a vigil honoring them both on Thursday night.

The grief-stricken Borlaug Elementary community gathered at a local neighborhood center, which has been supporting the grieving families since the tragedy, to pay tribute.

One speaker said they believe Hannah died trying to help Ahmed who got into difficulty in the water.

“To lose a hero, another human being, who willingly tried to save a life,” they said.

Another remembered Ahmed as “a joyful kid” who was “so amazing.”

The Iowa City Community School District said it was “heartbroken” by the devastating tragedy.

“Hannah and Ahmed were deeply valued members of our school district community, and their loss is being felt throughout Borlaug and across our district,” it said in a statement.

“Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, as well as Hannah’s colleagues and students, Ahmed’s classmates and friends, and everyone who knew and cared for them.

“This is an extraordinarily painful time for the Borlaug community and our entire school district.

“We will continue to come together, care for one another, and keep Hannah, Ahmed, and their families at the center of our hearts in the difficult days ahead.”

Special counselors have been made available to students, teachers, and members of the school community and all scheduled School of the Wild field trips have been canceled.

The pair’s deaths remain under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/17055303/teacher-student-bodies-pulled-lake-field-trip-iowa/