Pregnant mum and husband both die in dream holiday snorkelling tragedy leaving baby son orphaned

Ilya Tsaruk, 25, and Sophia Tsaruk, 26, were snorkelling off the coast of the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve in Maui when they got into difficulty in the water and drowned

A pregnant mum and her husband tragically lost their lives while on holiday in Hawaii, leaving their 18-month-old son without parents.

Ilya Tsaruk, 25, and Sophia Tsaruk, 26, from Washington, were snorkelling off the coast of Maui's Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve when they encountered difficulties around 100 and 150 feet from the shoreline. Emergency services found Sophia unresponsive in the water and quickly brought her to shore where CPR was administered.

After learning she had been with her husband, rescuers returned to the sea to search for him. Tragically, Ilya was found at the bottom of the ocean and was also brought back to land where emergency teams attempted resuscitation. Despite their best efforts, neither could be revived and Sophia, Ilya and their unborn daughter were all declared dead at the scene, the Mirror US reported.

The Maui County Fire Department released a statement saying: "On Saturday, September 14th, 2024 at 12:02pm, Maui firefighters and ocean safety personnel responded to the report of swimmers/snorkelers in distress in the area along the north side of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve. Jetski 14 located and recovered an unresponsive 26-year-old female in the water, took her to shore and began CPR."

"Arriving firefighters took over resuscitation efforts and JS14 went back out on the water to locate the 25-year-old male reported to have been with her. He was located on the bottom 100-150 yards from shore. He was also brought to shore where CPR was begun on him as well."

"Ultimately resuscitation efforts proved to be unsuccessful, and both parties were pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS. Engine 14 and Ladder 14 (Wailea), Rescue 10 aboard Air 1, Ocean Safety 14 and Jet Ski 14 (Makena State Park), and a Battalion Chief all responded to this incident."

The couple leave behind their young son Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle while Ilya and Sophia were holidaying in Maui, according to a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds for their funerals. Andrey Tupikov, who organised the fundraiser, said the couple were always active in the church and even sang in a worship group.

A devastating appeal has been set up after Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk tragically lost their lives on a fateful holiday in Maui. The fundraiser details: "On September 14th, 2024, Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk tragically passed away together while on vacation in Maui. They were retrieved from the ocean by lifeguards who were unable to revive them after much effort."

"Sophia was pregnant with a baby girl, and they leave behind their 18-month-old baby, Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle at the time. Ilya and Sophia both loved the Lord and were always serving in the church and serving people around them. Sophia had the voice of an angel, and together with Ilya, they sang in a worship group in their church."

The GoFundMe page set up in their memory has smashed its $100,000 goal, amassing nearly $20,000 more as of Wednesday morning. The organiser of the fundraiser has pledged that any surplus funds will be dedicated to securing the future of their young son Logan.