A pregnant mother and her husband drowned while snorkeling in Hawaii on Saturday, leaving their 18-month-old boy orphaned.
Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk were vacationing in Maui when they drowned in the waters of the tropical paradise, their relatives and the local fire department said.
Maui firefighters and marine rescue teams were called to the Ahihi-Kinau Wildlife Refuge shortly after noon for a “swimmer/diver in distress” call, according to the fire department’s report, according to The New York Post.
Once on the scene, rescuers found the 26-year-old woman who was pregnant with a baby girl. They brought her back to shore where resuscitation procedures were started.
They quickly returned to the sea to look for her 25-year-old husband, who was nowhere to be found. He was found at the bottom of the sea about 150 meters from the shore. Resuscitation maneuvers were also carried out on him.
The couple were eventually pronounced dead on the beach, as was their unborn child.
“They leave behind their 18-month-old baby, Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle at the time,” reads the GoFundMe campaign set up to pay for the couple’s funeral.
