Young parents with an 18-month-old son and unborn baby girl tragically drowned while vacationing in Hawaii on Saturday.
Washington residents Ilya and Sofya Tsaruk — who were pregnant with their second child — died in the ocean while swimming in the tropical paradise of Maui, according to the local fire department and their loved ones.
The Maui Fire Brigade and Ocean Rescue Team were called just after noon to the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve to respond to reports of “swimmers/snorklers in distress,” the department said.
Emergency responders found Sophia, 26, unconscious in the water and took her to shore, where firefighters administered CPR.
They were told she was with her husband – who was nowhere to be found – and they went back to sea to look for her.
Fire officials said 25-year-old Ilya was soon found on the ocean floor about 100 to 150 yards offshore. He was brought back to land, where emergency teams began CPR on him as well.
But neither Sophia nor Ilya began breathing again. They were pronounced dead on the beach — Sophia's unborn baby also died, the Maui County Fire Department said.
The couple leaves behind their 18-month-old son, Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle while his parents were in Maui, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to cover funeral costs.
According to the fundraising page, the young parents were very active in their church and loved God.
“Both Ilya and Sophia loved the Lord and always served in church and those around them,” Andrey Tupikov wrote in the expedition description, in both English and Russian. “Sophia had a voice like an angel and together with Ilya they sang in a worship group in their church.”
As of Tuesday evening, the GoFundMe had raised $6,000 more than its $100,000 target. According to its creator, the donations will be used to cover the cost of transporting Ilya and Sofia's bodies from Hawaii to Washington state.
“We are blessed to have both of them in our lives and now have many sweet memories and moments spent with them to cherish. Their spirit of service and warm companionship can never be forgotten, and may God help us all to love and serve each other as Ilya and Sofya did,” Tupikov wrote.
