Five adults, including two married couples, reportedly drowned in the Scioto River recently.
The incident has left loved ones in tears as their children watched in a helpless manner from the shore.
Newly released police dispatch and emergency services audio recordings captured the heartbreaking moments when first responders located the victims following a major search effort. The tragedy first started as a routine summer evening of fishing along the riverbank.
One adult entered the river to swim and immediately started struggling against a powerful and rising current. Four other adults ended up jumping into the water one by one in a desperate bid to save the struggling swimmer.
Lacking the necessary swift water rescue skills, every adult who entered the water was pulled under by the current and ended up drowning. The alarm was first raised at about 9 pm when a passing motorist spotted a clearly distraught child, estimated to be between 4 and 6 years old, running along a nearby state highway.
It could be seen crying out for his mother, and the terrified child informed the driver that his family was inside the river. The Delaware County Sheriff's Office coordinated an intensive, long-hours rescue operation involving more than a dozen emergency agencies, thermal imaging drones, helicopters, and six rescue boats.