Featured Image Credit: (GoFundMe)
Topics: US News
Brenna Cooper
A family's holiday turned into tragedy as a pregnant mum and her husband died in a suspected drowning, leaving their 18-month-old son orphaned.
Ilya, 25, and Sophia, 26, - who lived in Washington, USA - were enjoying a holiday together in Hawaii when the tragedy occurred.
According to reports from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser the couple were understood to be snorkelling near the coast of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve, Maui on Saturday (14 September).
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Local firefighters and ocean rescue teams were called to the area just after midday after receiving a report of 'swimmers/snorkelers in distress'.
Emergency services would arrive to find Sophia unresponsive in the water and rushed her to shore in order to administer CPR, later finding Ilya at the bottom of the ocean floor around 100 to 150 yards from shore and brought him back to land.
The crew then attempted to revive the couple, however they were tragically pronounced dead.
A spokesperson for the Maui fire department, Chris Stankil, added that he believed they were snorkelling due to their location but he could not be certain. Stankil also added rescuers had not recovered any snorkelling equipment from the sea.
A GoFundMe has since been set up in the couple's memory which aims to raise funds in order to cover their funeral costs.
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Revealing that Sophia had been pregnant with a baby girl at the time, organiser Andrey Tupikov explained that the couple's son had been staying with aunt and uncle at the time at was not with his parents when the tragedy occurred.
"Yesterday, we lost a dear sister and brother, daughter and son, and beautiful niece, but we know that heaven received and gained the three of them with open arms," he wrote in both English and Russian.
"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."
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Tupikov went on to write that funds raised would cover the cost of having Ilya and Sophia transported back from Hawaii as well as paying for funeral expenses.
"We are blessed to have had both of them in our lives and are left now with the sweet memories and moments that we shared together with them," he added.
"Their serving spirit and warm company will never be forgotten, and may God help us all to love and serve one another as Ilya and Sophia served."
The fundraiser has since surpassed its $100,000 (£75,877) target, with Tupikov posting an update which stated that any remaining funds would be put aside to 'help facilitate little Logan’s future life' and making sure he is 'taken care of in every way'.