A FRANTIC bid to save a struggling swimmer turned into a nightmare after five people drowned one by one in a fast-flowing Ohio river.

Two terrified young children were left behind after the desperate rescue attempt spiralled into tragedy, with one child running to flag down a passing driver for help.

Five people drowned in Ohio’s Scioto River after a frantic rescue attempt

Rescuers pulled two women from the river and rushed them to hospital, but they did not survive

Officials stand at a staging area after an operation to recover the people involved

Rescuers also recovered the bodies of three men from the river on Monday

The horror unfolded on Sunday night at the Scioto River in Powell, north of Columbus, where a group had been fishing and enjoying the evening together.

Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer said one person entered the river for a swim before getting into difficulty.

Two others rushed into the water in an attempt to save them, but they too began struggling in the powerful current.

Two more people then jumped in to help, triggering a devastating chain of events that ended with all five adults dead.

“That’s when the tragedy started to occur. I understand that one person got in the river, was struggling in the water. Two people went in to try to save them,” Balzer said.

“Those people started struggling in the river. Now we have two additional people go in the water.”

As the ordeal unfolded, a “clearly distraught” child sprinted along nearby State Route 257 and desperately told a passing motorist that his “family was in the river,” according to Balzer.

The driver immediately called 911, while several other emergency calls were made at around 9.25pm.

Rescuers pulled two women from the river and rushed them to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The bodies of three men were recovered from the river on Monday.

Officials said two sets of parents were among those who died, although authorities have not yet publicly identified the victims.

Two young children, aged six and seven, were at the scene during the tragedy and are now in the care of Delaware County Job and Family Services.

Investigators have not confirmed whether the children’s parents were among those killed.

Balzer said: “There may have been two sets of parents, two children and then someone else.”

The sheriff warned that deadly incidents like this are not uncommon when untrained people attempt water rescues.

“It’s not unusual for one person to be struggling in the water,” he said.

“Other people attempt to save them, yet they don’t have the skills to do that, so we end up with multiple deaths.”

Data from a nearby US Geological Survey gauge showed the Scioto River was running high and fast on Sunday, flowing at around 350 cubic feet per second – more than double its average rate.

Balzer urged people to take extra care around rivers, especially during the summer.

“Know your skill level before you get in the water. Are you a confident swimmer?” he said.

“Anytime you’re near water, you need to be confident in your swimming ability or have safety devices available. There’s no shame in wearing a life jacket. It saves lives every day.”

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16722299/people-drown-ohio-river-saving-swimmer/