A young couple, Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk, tragically drowned while on vacation in Hawaii. They were parents to an 18-month-old son and were expecting a baby girl. The couple, from Washington, died while swimming in the waters off Maui. According to the local fire department, rescue teams were called to Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve after reports of swimmers in trouble.
Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk were the parents of an 18-month-old son, Logan, and were expecting a baby girl when they tragically drowned.
Emergency responders found 26-year-old Sophia unresponsive in the water and brought her to shore, where they tried CPR. They learned she had been with her husband, Ilya, but he was missing. Rescue teams searched the ocean and found 25-year-old Ilya at the bottom, about 100 to 150 yards from shore. They also tried CPR on him, but sadly, neither of them survived. Their unborn child also passed away.
Their son, Logan, was staying with his aunt and uncle while his parents were on vacation in Maui. A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover funeral costs.
Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk drowned while on vacation in Maui, having traveled from Washington state. They were young parents who were very involved in their church and loved God, according to a fundraising page.
Andrey Tupikov, who set up the GoFundMe, wrote that Ilya and Sophia loved serving in their church and helping others. He described Sophia as having “the voice of an angel,” and said they sang together in a worship group.
As of Tuesday evening, the GoFundMe had raised over $106,000, exceeding its $100,000 goal. The donations will be used to transport Ilya and Sophia’s bodies back to Washington state.
Tupikov expressed gratitude for having known them and shared that their caring nature and joyful memories will always be remembered. He hopes everyone can love and serve one another as Ilya and Sophia did.
