Three boys, ages 8, 10, and 11, have died after being rescued from an icy lake near Solihull, England.
At 2.36 p.m. on Sunday, emergency services were first called to Babbs Mill Park in the Kingshurst neighborhood of Solihull, West Midlands, close to Birmingham, where it was reported that four kids had been playing on the ice and fallen through into the lake.
Before firemen with specialized training in water rescue could reach the kids and rescue the group, members of the public and police officers first tried to pull the kids out of the frigid waters.
A fourth boy is still in the hospital in severe condition.
The people who were pulled from the water received urgent life care from emergency responders and firefighters before being taken to Birmingham Children’s and Heartlands hospitals, where they all arrived in critical condition.
“Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon,” according to a West Midlands Police update released on Monday morning.
“The boys, aged 11, 10, and eight, were rushed to the hospital after being pulled from the water.
“Sadly, they could not be revived and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this deeply devastating time. We’ll have specialist officers offering them as much support as we can.
“A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.”
According to accounts, up to six children may have been involved, so police said they are continuing to investigate the lake to see if anyone else fell into the water.
It is believed that the temperature is estimated to have dropped to -1 degree (34F) at the time of the occurrence before dropping to -3 degrees (26F) overnight.
