In a tragic incident, two couples from Honduras were among five adults who drowned while attempting to rescue a swimmer in distress. This leaves two young children stranded in the U.S., now without any living relatives, as confirmed by local authorities and family members.
According to Honduran officials, 33-year-old Jose Mario Pineda Diaz and his 28-year-old wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, were at the Scioto River with their two kids, alongside another couple and an adult friend when the incident occurred late Sunday night.
The group had been engaged in nighttime fishing at O’Shaughnessy Reservoir when one member jumped into the water and began to struggle. Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer noted that two adults immediately jumped in to help, but soon found themselves in trouble, prompting further attempts for rescue.
Sadly, Diaz, Regalado, and three others did not emerge from the water, resulting in the tragic orphaning of their children, ages 8 and 10, as reported by officials and relatives.
Two women who were also involved were pulled from the water but later pronounced dead at a hospital. The bodies of three men were recovered from the river the following day.
A concerned driver spotted a “visibly distraught” toddler running alone down a nearby road, only wrapped in a towel, and quickly called for help.
Witness accounts noted the boy was terrified, mentioning that his family was in the river. Authorities have confirmed that four of the five adults who drowned were Honduran nationals, but the identities of the remaining couple and the fifth adult have not yet been revealed.
The two children are currently under the care of Ohio Family Services, with plans being made to reunite them with relatives back in Honduras. Flavia Zamora, the head of consular affairs for Honduras, mentioned that she is collaborating with U.S. authorities to bring the remains back home.
The repatriation process is expected to begin once all victims are identified, which may take at least a month. It’s still uncertain how the group got caught in such swift currents, but on that Sunday, the river’s flow was measured at 350 cubic feet per second, more than double its normal rate.
A photograph taken by a passing boater showed the group standing thigh-deep in the Powell River near Columbus, apparently engaged in fishing activities around a large log.
As for the two orphans, they remain in the care of Ohio Family Services, and efforts are ongoing to connect them with family in Honduras.
In light of the tragedy, a relative of the couple has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral expenses and childcare costs for the two children.
With materials from various sources
