Teacher, 10-year-old student dead following incident during Iowa field trip
The bodies of a 10-year-old student and a fifth grade teacher were recovered from the water in Iowa following an incident during a field trip, according to authorities.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said that officers responded to a report of subjects in the water at Lake MacBride State Park near the Coralville Reservoir spillway on Tuesday.
“At 12:43 p.m., responders recovered one adult victim in the Coralville Reservoir, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Responders searched for an additional juvenile throughout the evening. Recovery efforts for the juvenile have been suspended overnight and will re-commence in the morning,” police said in a news release on Tuesday.
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By Wednesday, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office shared another update, announcing that officers recovered the juvenile victim from the water at the Coralville Reservoir.
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“He has been identified as Ahmed Osman, age 10, of Iowa City. The adult victim recovered yesterday by first responders at the scene has been identified as Hannah Jorgensen, age 24, of Tiffin,” police said in the update.
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The fifth grade students from Borlaug Elementary School were on a five-day field trip for a “School of the Wild” program, which increases “outdoor learning experiences for elementary and middle school students across Iowa.”
Osman’s father, Mohamed Osman, told the New York Times that his son was on the field trip with his fifth-grade class at MacBride Nature Recreation Area when the incident took place.
He said that his son had “wandered over to the lake bed and fallen in, prompting a teacher, Hannah Jorgensen, to try to save him.”
The Iowa City Community School District paid tribute to Osman and Jorgensen in a post on Facebook, writing, “Our hearts are shattered by the loss of two beloved members of our Borlaug Elementary family, fifth-grade teacher Hannah Jorgensen and fifth-grade student Ahmed Osman.”
“There are simply no words that can adequately express the depth of this loss. Hannah and Ahmed were so much more than members of our school community. They were a teacher and student, a colleague and classmate, a friend, and most importantly, deeply loved members of their families,” the post added.
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“Their absence will be felt in the classrooms and hallways of Borlaug, in the lives of those who loved them, and throughout our entire school district community,” the post continued. “In the difficult days ahead, we will hold one another close and continue to surround the Borlaug community with love, care, and support.”
“We will remember Hannah. We will remember Ahmed. And we will carry their memory with us,” the statement read.
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Norman Borlaug Elementary School thanked the community for the “incredible outpouring of support we have received.”
“Our building is hurting right now, and so are our hearts. But knowing that you are all here for us, standing beside us, checking in, and, lifting us up. It means more than we can put into words,” the statement added.
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Police said the incident remains under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
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