TEACHER, 24, TOLD STUDENTS TO CALL 911 AFTER BOY, 10, FELL INTO RESERVOIR — BOTH DIED IN HEARTBREAKING SCHOOL TRIP tᩚraɢedy

Hannah Jorgensen jumped into the water to try to save her fifth-grade student, Ahmed Osman, after he slipped near a spillway in Iowa. Newly released investigative details reveal the desperate moments that followed.

A school field trip turned into an unimaginable tᩚraɢedy when a 10-year-old boy fell into a reservoir and his teacher jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to save him. Neither survived.

Ahmed Osman, a fifth-grade student, and his teacher, Hannah Jorgensen, 24, died during a school outing to Lake Macbride State Park in Johnson County, Iowa, on September 22, 2026.

Now, newly released details from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office have shed light on what happened during the final moments of the outing, including the teacher’s decision to enter the water and her instructions for students to call emergency services.

The tᩚraɢedy has left two families grieving and an entire school community struggling to come to terms with the loss.

A LUNCH BREAK THAT TURNED INTO AN EMERGENCY

According to investigators, Jorgensen had led a group of 14 students on a woodland hike as part of a School of the Wild field trip organised through Borlaug Elementary School in Coralville.

The group eventually stopped for lunch near the shoreline of the Coralville Reservoir, south of the Lake Macbride Spillway.

During the break, Ahmed stepped into water flowing down the spillway. He slipped on the rocks and fell into the reservoir.

What had been a routine school outing suddenly became a life-threatening emergency.

TEACHER JUMPED INTO THE WATER TO SAVE HER STUDENT

Investigators said Jorgensen immediately entered the water in an attempt to rescue Ahmed.

She left her phone on the shore and instructed the students to call 911.

One student used the teacher’s phone to contact emergency services, while other children alerted a bystander on the opposite side of the spillway.

The bystander also entered the water in an attempt to rescue the teacher and child. However, he was unable to reach them safely and eventually returned to shore.

He remained at the scene with the students until emergency responders arrived.

The children who witnessed the incident were later interviewed by investigators as authorities worked to establish the full sequence of events.

RESCUE TEAMS RECOVERED BOTH VICTIMS

Emergency services received the call shortly after noon.

Authorities recovered Jorgensen’s body at approximately 12:43 p.m. on September 22. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The search for Ahmed continued into the following day. His body was recovered from the reservoir on September 23.

The deaths brought profound sadness to the school district, which confirmed that both were valued members of its community.

In a statement following the tᩚraɢedy, the Iowa City Community School District expressed condolences to their families, friends, classmates and colleagues.

The district also said counselling support would be available to help students and staff cope with the loss.

‘HE HAD A LOT OF DREAMS’

For Ahmed’s family, the loss of a 10-year-old child has been devastating.

His father, Mohamed Osman, spoke of the family’s heartbreak, saying they had never imagined their son would be taken from them so soon.

He also reflected on the many dreams Ahmed had ahead of him.

At just 10 years old, Ahmed had so much of childhood still to experience. His dєatᩚh has left his family facing a future without the boy they loved and the milestones they had hoped to share with him.

The grief has been compounded by the fact that his teacher also lost her life during the same incident.

A SCHOOL COMMUNITY MOURNS A TEACHER WHO TRIED TO HELP

Jorgensen was just 24 years old.

According to reports, Ahmed’s family has described her attempt to save him as heroic, recognising that she entered the water in an effort to help her student.

Her actions and the tragic outcome have prompted an outpouring of sympathy for both families.

The students who witnessed the incident also faced an extraordinarily distressing experience, as they attempted to summon help during an emergency involving their teacher and classmate.

Their welfare remains an important concern for the school community as it works through the aftermath.

INVESTIGATION INTO THE tᩚraɢedy CONTINUES

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has released details about the circumstances surrounding the drownings, including the events leading up to Ahmed’s fall and Jorgensen’s rescue attempt.

Authorities have interviewed the students who witnessed the incident, as well as the bystander who entered the water.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the newly released information describes the sequence of events without resolving every question surrounding the tᩚraɢedy.

For now, the loss of Ahmed and Jorgensen has left a lasting mark on their families and the wider school community.

One child fell into the water. One teacher jumped in to try to save him. And two lives were lost in a tᩚraɢedy that began during an ordinary school field trip.

Their deaths are a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly circumstances can change — and how deeply a single moment can affect an entire community.