Four children 'fight for life' after being pulled from icy lake while police search for two others feared to be dead
12 December 2022, 06:39 | Updated: 12 December 2022, 08:47
Four children remain in critical condition in hospital after being pulled from an icy lake in cardiac arrest, while the search operation continues amid fears that two other children are still missing.
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Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, a nature park in Solihull, at 2.36pm on Sunday, with reports from the scene indicating that children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through the lake.
Fire, police and ambulances bosses told a press conference last night that four children were rescued from the water in cardiac arrest and taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Two of the rescued kids were taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital and two have been rushed to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.
Emergency services were made aware that six people had entered the water and specialist rescue teams continued the search overnight to find the other two, feared to be dead.
Last night there were about 30 ambulances at the scene, police cars and several specialist crews but this morning there is a far reduced emergency presence at the scene.
It comes after a weekend of plummeting temperatures with severe conditions set to continue over the next few days, including temperatures as low as minus 10C.
Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander said: “When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children.
“Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.
“The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.”
He added that they were made aware of up to six people in the water when the crews arrived.
“So after rescuing the four children, we have continued the search and rescue operation to confirm whether there were any more in the water,” he said.
He added: “The specialist medical advice we have been given on the scene, given the temperature of the water, given the age of those who entered the water and the amount of time they have been in there, this would no longer be a search and rescue operation.”
Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “On being rescued, the four children were taken under blue lights to hospital with an advanced care team.
“Two were being taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. All four children were in critical condition on arrival.”
He added: “There are no updates. They were all in critical condition when they arrived in hospital.”
“Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support en route to hospital,” he added.
The press conference also heard that one of the police officers suffered mild hypothermia and is making a ‘full recovery’ in hospital.
West Midlands Police wrote shortly before 4.30pm: "We are currently at the scene of a serious incident at Babbs Mill Park, Fordbridge Road, Kingshurst, Solihull.
"A number of people have been pulled from a lake and are being transported to hospital.
"They are believed to be in a critical condition."
