Bodies of 5th grade teacher and student recovered from water after incident during field trip

Emergency response personnel search a portion of the Iowa River near Lake Macbride on Sept. 22 near Solon, Iowa.Julia Hansen / USA Today Network via Reuters ConnectShareAdd NBC News to GoogleSept. 24, 2026, 1:36 PM EDT / Updated Sept. 24, 2026, 1:51 PM EDTBy Minyvonne BurkeThe bodies of a 5th-grade student and teacher were recovered from the water at Lake MacBride State Park in Iowa following an incident during a field trip.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office was called to the park Tuesday afternoon for reports of people in the water near Coralville Reservoir, a news release states.

The body of Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin, was pulled from the water around 12:43 p.m., and a search was launched for a missing 10-year-old boy.

The child, Ahmed Osman, of Iowa City, was found dead Wednesday, authorities said in an update.

Fifth-grade students from Borlaug Elementary School were on a “School of the Wild Field Trip,” NBC affiliate KWWL of Waterloo, Iowa, reported.

Iowa City Community School District confirmed the deaths in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“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,” the district said.

“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 district said “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.”

“We will remember Hannah. We will remember Ahmed. And we will carry their memory with us,” the statement read.

Norman Borlaug Elementary School thanked the community for its support.

“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 school said.

The sheriff’s office said the incident remains under investigation.

Minyvonne Burke is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.