Solihull: Three children die in icy lake tragedy

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake near Solihull.

A police officer tried to punch through the ice as he and others attempted to rescue the children in Babbs Mill Park, Kingshurst, on Sunday.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled from the water.

Family members affected by the tragedy are "absolutely devastated", said Supt Richard Harris of West Midlands Police.

Supt Harris said all police who went to the scene had entered the water with no regard for their own safety or with any special clothing - some going in waist-deep.

"One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice to actually rescue the children themselves," he 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."

Searches are continuing at the lake and Supt Harris said teams wanted to be "100% certain that there is no-one else possibly in the water at this time".

"It's important to stress though that we've had no contact from anybody suggesting that there is anybody else missing."

A search is continuing to make "100% certain" no others are in the water, police said

Supt Harris added officers were still trying to work through all the details of the incident and could not say how long the boys had been in the water before emergency services arrived.

However, he said officers had arrived within minutes of the first call, which came in at about 14:30 GMT.

Police were being guided by the families as to how much information was made available to the media, he said, and they were doing "everything we possibly can to support them".

Members of the public and police officers initially went into the freezing water to try to get the boys out, before the children were reached by specialist fire crews.

Firefighters from Sheldon fire station - about five miles away from the park - were among those who had tried to rescue the boys.

On Monday, they laid flowers alongside a growing number of tributes at the scene and were applauded by onlookers.

Temperatures are thought to have plunged to 1C (34F) in the area at the time of the incident, falling to -3C (26F) overnight.

After their rescue, the children were rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital and Heartlands Hospital, but police said they could not be revived.

At the scene:

Phil Mackie, BBC Midlands Correspondent

A mass of flowers, balloons, toys and messages is growing just outside the police cordon, a few hundred metres from where the boys fell through the ice on the partially frozen lake.

Families continue to come to pay their respects, many of them in tears, hugging their small children and lighting candles.

It's often a cliché to talk about close-knit communities, but Kingshurst feels like a place where that description holds true.

It's a story that's struck a nerve here after a tough 24 hours during which we learned three young lads lost their lives and another, the youngest of all, is still in a critical condition.

St Anthony's Primary School, in Kingshurst, closed to pupils on Monday but said it would reopen on Tuesday "to support our children and families the best we can".

"Never has our motto being (sic) more meaningful," it tweeted, "actions speak louder than words".

The BBC understands at least one of the boys went to the school.

Another school, Park Hall Academy, in Castle Bromwich, also said it was aware of the tragic event at Babbs Mill lake and that thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.

"Please rest assured that anyone affected will be supported," it said.

Police said their thoughts were with the families and friends of the boys "at this deeply devastating time" and they would have specialist officers on hand to support them.

Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Area Commander, described the deaths as "a tragedy beyond words".

He said the incident served as a reminder of the dangers of frozen water.

"It can look picturesque but can be lethal," he said. "Please help avoid this from happening again."

Staying safe near frozen lakes

• Children should not go on the ice under any circumstances

• Stay away from the edge of bodies of water as uneven terrain can make slips and falls more likely

• Whenever possible, stick to well-lit routes away from water

• Keep dogs on a lead when they're near the ice, and don't throw sticks or toys on to the ice

• If a pet falls in, do not go on to the ice nor into the water to rescue them, move somewhere where the dog can climb out and call them to you

Source: Royal Life Saving Society UK

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his thoughts were with the families.

He spoke to Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti, who was visiting the scene, and said it was particularly hard thinking about the case as a father of two young daughters.

Mr Bhatti said the community had been left in shock.

"It's just hard to put into words right now what I'm feeling... as a parent. The whole community's going to be feeling this and my heart goes out to the families of those young children and my thoughts and prayers are with them."

Nish Chauhan, from BBC Radio WM, spoke to one resident. Dan, who told him how he had heard the sirens and had seen people running down to the site. He grabbed his jacket and ran down to see if he could help.

"It's shocking, I haven't really been able to sleep to be honest," he said.

Supt Harris said there were a number of witnesses officers still wanted to speak to and appealed for anyone with information to contact the force.