In an unspeakable tragedy, a young couple, Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk, who were on vacation in Hawaii, drowned, leaving their 18-month-old son, Logan, without parents. The 25 and 26 year old couple was believed to be snorkeling off the coast of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve off Maui during the time the disaster occurred. Pregnant with a baby girl, Sophia and her husband found fatal difficulty when in the water.
The Maui Fire Department responded in quick time after receiving word that swimmers were in distress, but it was already too late. Rescue teams found Sophia unresponsive 150 yards offshore, while Ilya was later found on the ocean bottom. Both were pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts to revive them.
The couple is survived by a young son, who was being looked after by relatives at the time of the accident. A GoFundMe campaign set by family friend, Andrey Tupikov, has so far surpassed its $100,000 goal and would be used to cover funeral expenses and transportation of their bodies back to Washington.
