Pregnant mother and husband drown while snorkeling on vacation in Hawaii
Maui officials responded to ‘snorkelers in distress’ on Saturday afternoon
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A pregnant mother and her husband drowned while snorkeling on vacation in Hawaii, leaving behind an 18-month-old son.
Ilya, 25, and Sophia Tsaruk, 26, reportedly from Snohomish, near Seattle, Washington, had been snorkeling along the north side of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve when Maui firefighters and ocean safety personnel responded to calls of ‘snorkelers in distress’ at about noon on Saturday, said Maui County Fire Department.
A Jetski-led rescue mission first found Sophia unresponsive in the water, before returning for her husband, who was located on the seabed around 100-150 yards from shore. Both were given CPR, but it was ultimately unsuccessful and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their 18-month-old baby, Logan, was reportedly staying with his aunt and uncle at the time.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help cover funeral costs, and has already outraised its $100,000 target by almost $22,000, as of Wednesday afternoon. The donations will also be used to cover the cost of transporting the couple back from Hawaii, with any excess funds going towards their surviving son.
The fundraiser’s creator, Andrey Tupikov, wrote: “Yesterday, we lost a dear sister and brother, daughter and son, and beautiful niece, but we know that heaven received and gained the three of them with open arms.”
He added that both families were grieving their loss which he described as a “pain that will not pass soon.”
“We ask that you support and carry us and our families in prayers, and if you have it in your hearts to contribute towards funeral expenses, everything is appreciated”, he said.
The fire department said the surf conditions in the area were relatively calm that day, and the area is not known for riptides, according to the Daily Mail.