Three children, aged 8, 10 and 11, died after falling into an icy lake near Birmingham in central England and another was in critical condition, local police said on Monday.
“Three boys have tragically died after falling into a pond at Bob’s Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon. The boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, were taken to hospital after being pulled from the water.”West Midlands Police said in a statement.
By the end of the day on Sunday, British emergency services said four children had been admitted to two hospitals in the United Kingdom in a “critical condition” after suffering cardiac arrest after being pulled from the lake.
In the afternoon, after being alerted, firefighters and paramedics pulled the minors out of the water.
The children were playing in the frozen lake when they slipped and fell into the water.
“The children were pulled from the water and firefighters and ambulance drivers immediately tried to revive them,” Richard Stanton of the region’s fire service said at a press conference this Sunday night.
“Unfortunately, they went into cardiac arrest and received advanced resuscitation in hospital,” explained Cameron McVitty of the local ambulance service.
The children were taken to two different hospitals in Birmingham in a “critical condition”.
At that point, police acknowledged more victims as they reported “up to six people” had fallen into the water, so the search continued.
The UK has been hit by a severe cold wave since Friday, with snow in some areas and temperatures below zero in most parts of the country.
