A couple celebrating the impending birth of their second child have died while snorkelling in Hawaii.
Ilya Tsaruk, 25, and his pregnant wife, Sophia Tsaruk, 26, were found unresponsive in the water near the north side of Ahihi-Kina’u Natural Area Reserve on Maui on 14 September.
The couple lived in Washington state in the United States and have an 18-month-old son, who was not with them at the time. They had been on holiday ahead of the birth of their next child, who they had planned to name Melody.
Mrs Tsaruk was found unresponsive in the water about 140m away from the shore and was brought back to land by emergency responders on a jet ski. As they tried CPR, the search continued for her husband.
Mr Tsaruk was eventually found “on the bottom” of the ocean floor and also brought to the shore for CPR.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
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In an interview with a local news outlet KITV, family members said the Tsaruks had been in Hawaii for a babymoon with two other couples, including Mr Tsaruk’s brother and his wife.
They were wearing full-face snorkel masks at the time of the incident, the family said.
“We don’t think that she suffocated in the mask,” Mr Tsaruk’s brother Anatoliy Tsaruk told KITV. “It might’ve just played a role in scaring her to panic. Everything is just speculation at this point.”
Taisiya Tsaruk added: “They were so excited for life and what it was going to bring for them.”
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A GoFundMe page, posting in both English and Russian, said the pair were devoted churchgoers who sang together in a worship group. Almost $150,000 (£113,000) has been raised to help the family with funeral expenses.
A celebration of life service will be held on the 26 September, followed by a burial the following day.
