Three boys aged eight, ten and 11 die and six-year-old critical after falling through ice at Solihull lake
12 December 2022, 11:08 | Updated: 12 December 2022, 13:28
Three boys have died after falling through ice into a lake in Solihull, police confirmed today.
The victims are aged 11, 10 and eight. A six-year-old boy is in critical condition.
The four children were taken to hospital in critical condition after being rescued from the lake in the West Midlands on Sunday afternoon after falling through ice.
West Midlands police said specialist teams were searching the lake today to ‘see if anyone else fell into the water’. Firefighters have described the continuing searches as a 'recovery rather than a rescue'.
Police said this afternoon one of the officers who tried to rescue the boys punched through the ice with his bare hands in an effort to free them.
He was said to have suffered mild hypothermia and has since been released from hospital.
The victims’ families are “absolutely devastated” and police asked for their privacy to be respected.
According to reports two children were playing on the ice when it cracked and their friends ran onto the lake to try and help, only for them to get into trouble themselves.
A West Midlands Police statement said: "Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon.
"The boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, were rushed to 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.
"We've been working alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services as we do all we can to support those involved.
"Searches of the lake are continuing as we seek to establish exactly what happened and if anyone else fell into the water.
"We understand how distressing this is for the families and the wider community.
"We would ask people to not speculate or share any video footage at this stage."
A search of the lake continued overnight after reports up to six children had fallen in, but police had said it was "no longer a search and rescue operation".
Emergency services and members of the public dived into the water in an effort to rescue them.
Another was found soon later and a total of four children were hospitalised, a police spokesman said. Three of the children found have died, West Midlands Police announced today.
Two of the children were taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital and two were rushed to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital.
Dozens of emergency services workers and vehicles including boats, fire engines and drones scoured the site last night as the rescue operation continued.
The children were told to get off the ice moments before they fell in, according to reports.
West Midlands Police wrote shortly before 4.30pm yesterday: "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.”
The deputy leader of Solihull Council, Karen Grinsell, said she had not visited the site of the pond on Sunday to allow the emergency services to get on with the rescue operation.
She said: "Our hearts absolutely go out to the families and friends of the youngsters that have been involved.
"What we have to say is thank you to the emergency services that were on scene instantly and the people that went in.
"Clearly they went into the water and put their own lives at risk."
The Met Office has warned over the hazards of thin ice on top of rivers and ponds, saying it can be a hazard to life.
A spokesperson said: "With temperatures set to struggle to get much above freezing over the coming days across much of the country, stretches of water such as rivers and ponds are at risk of freezing.
"While frozen rivers and ponds can be fascinating, they can be dangerous and a hazard to life."
