Teacher, 24, and 10-year-old pupil drown in Iowa reservoir during school field trip

From the Newshound archive · first published 25 September 2026.

Hannah Jorgensen, a 24-year-old fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary School in Coralville, Iowa, and her 10-year-old pupil Ahmed Osman drowned on Tuesday after both went into the water at the Coralville Reservoir spillway during a School of the Wild field trip. Jorgensen's body was recovered that same day; Osman was found the following afternoon after searchers suspended their overnight efforts and then resumed them. The Johnson County Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate how the two ended up in the water.

The Iowa City Community School District said it was 'shattered by the loss', calling Hannah and Ahmed 'deeply loved members of their families'.

Autopsies are to be performed by the Johnson County Medical Examiner to determine cause and manner of death.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds offered condolences, and the district said counsellors would be available for students and staff across the school.