3 Boys Dead After Falling Into a Frozen Lake in England, Families Are 'Absolutely Devastated'

At least three young boys have died and another has been hospitalized after falling through a frozen lake in the town of Solihull, England.

Three of the children — ages 8, 10 and 11 — died at the hospital, and another boy, age 6, was in critical condition as of Monday morning.

According to the Associated Press, officials continued searching after two other children were reportedly with the group.

“It’s important to stress … that we’ve had no contact from anybodysuggesting that there’s anybody else missing,” West Midlands Police Superintendent Richard Harris said. “But until we’re 100% certain we will be carrying on searches throughout the course of today.”

Harris said that family members of the victims are “absolutely devastated,” BBC reported, noting that officers entered the water in full clothing during the rescue attempt, and some went in waist-deep. Temperatures were as low as 34 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) that day.

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“One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice to actually rescue the children themselves,” Harris said. “That officer, as a result of that, had some mild hypothermia yesterday. I’m pleased to say he’s now been released from hospital and he’s absolutely fine.”

The children were ultimately retrieved with the assistance of specialty firefighters.

The tragedy came after the Met Office, Britain’s national weather service, issued severe weather alerts for much of the country.

source: people.com