A terrible ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ has left a young kid orphaned when his parents, Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk, were ᴅɪᴇᴅ in a strange diving mishap while on vacation in Maui, Hawaii.
The couple from Washington had been on vacation without their 18-month-old kid, Logan, who was staying with his aunt and uncle.
On Saturday, September 14, the Maui County Fire Department received reports of two people in ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ in the waters off the north side of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve.
Emergency personnel arrived at the location and located an unresponsive 26-year-old lady, later identified as Sophia Tsaruk. Ilya, 25, was later discovered in the ocean. Despite the best efforts of rescue teams to save them, both were tragically declared ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.
Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and both Ilya and Sophia were pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ on the site by EMS, according to a statement from the fire department.
To add to the sadness, Sophia was pregnant with a baby girl at the time of the ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ.
At a news conference, Fire Department spokesperson Chris Stankil revealed that the incident appeared to have been a snorkeling ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ, while the specific cause is still being investigated.
Following this heartbreaking ʟᴏss, family member Andrey Tupikov launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the couple’s ғᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟ and to help their young son Logan, who is now tragically orphaned. “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,” Tupikov wrote at the bottom of the article.
The post continued: “On September 14th, 2024, Ilya and Sophia Tsaruk tragically pa:ssed 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.”
Tupikov also spoke about the couple’s strong faith and commitment to their community: “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 couple’s ғᴜɴᴇʀᴀʟ service is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25. At the time of writing, approximately $119,000 has been received through the GoFundMe campaign to aid with Logan’s burial expenses and provide for his future, with a goal of $100,000.
The Maui County Fire Department has yet to provide an update on the ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ inquiry.
At this difficult time, our thoughts and condolences go out to Ilya and Sophie’s son, Logan, as well as their family and friends.
