Three young children have died after they fell into an icy lake over the weekend.
The group had been playing at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull when they went out onto the frozen water yesterday (11 December) afternoon.
Emergency services were called to the scene and managed to pull four people out of the water.
Police said that the children had suffered cardiac arrests and they were then rushed to hospital for treatment, where they were said to be in a critical condition.
Sadly, however, three of them, aged, 11, 10 and eight, have since died
Confirming the tragic news, a spokesperson for West Midlands Police 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, while one of the police officers who suffered mild hypothermia is said to be making a 'full recovery' in hospital.
Specialist divers have been searching the lake since the incident to confirm whether anyone else had fallen into the water.
Sophie is a mental health support worker and was in the park at the time the group fell in.
The 23-year-old said that people were screaming at them not to go on the ice.
"I got here with my friends at 2.45pm. There were a group of youngsters playing near the lake which was completely iced over," she told the Daily Mail.
"Two of them had gone onto the lake and people were shouting at them that it wasn't safe.
"Then the ice cracked and the leg of one of the boys went in. The other three on the bank then went in to help and soon they were all in trouble."
Leader of Solihull Council Ian Courts and deputy leader Karen Grinsell visited the cordon at Babbs Mill lake.
They praised the bravery of the emergency services and rescue teams and offered their condolences to the families involved.
Cllr Courts said: “This is just about as bad as it gets… a dreadful situation.
“We are completely stunned at what’s happened.
“We are still awaiting more news. Clearly our thoughts and prayers have to be with the families in this situation.
“I can hardly imagine what the families are going through.”
Featured Image Credit: Sam Holiday/AlamyTopics: UK News
Dominic Smithers