Two married couples from Honduras and an adult friend drowned in an Ohio river. The incident occurred along the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, which is part of the Scioto River. The group, including 33-year-old Jose Mario Pineda Dias and his 28-year-old wife, Marina Suyapa Regalado, had been fishing in the river when the accident happened.
Investigation Underway
According to Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer, one of the adults was struggling to swim in the river when several others went into the water to help. Unfortunately, all five were swept under. The two women’s bodies were recovered Sunday, and the three men’s bodies were found Monday.
Honduran authorities have confirmed that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens. The fifth adult has yet to be identified. Flabia Zamora, director of consular affairs at the Honduran Foreign Ministry, stated that they are working with U.S. authorities to bring the bodies home.
The couple’s children, aged 8 and 10, are in the care of the state of Ohio. Arrangements will be made to reunite them with relatives in Honduras. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to cover funeral and transportation costs, as well as childcare costs for the two orphaned children.
The drownings occurred in an area where Jet Skis, tubing, and swimming are not permitted. Lt. Heather Byers of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources warned that rivers can be deceptively calm on the surface, and even slow-moving water can sweep people away.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
