Pregnant woman and her husband drown during their dream vacation in Hawaii

Wednesday, September 18, 2024 - A pregnant mother and her husband have drowned while on vacation in Hawaii, leaving their 18-month-old son orphaned.

Ilya, 25, and Sophia, 26, Tsaruk, of Snohomish, Washington, were  believed to be at the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve in Maui when they ran into difficulty on Saturday, September 14.

The Maui Fire Department was dispatched to the area after a report of 'swimmers/snorkelers in distress,' according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

When rescuers arrived at the scene at midday, they found the 26-year-old woman unresponsive and pulled her from the water approximately 100 to 150 yards offshore.

CPR was administered to both victims, but rescue crews' efforts were unsuccessful and they were pronounced dead by Emergency Medical Services.

As at the time of her unfortunate death, Sophia was pregnant with a baby girl, according to Andrey Tupikov, who set up a GoFundMe for the family.

A search of her Instagram showed the would-be mother-of-two cradling her pregnant stomach.

The couple leave behind baby Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle when the tragedy occurred.