Families ‘can’t wake from nightmare’ of Solihull lake tragedy, aunt says

Six-year-old remains in critical condition in hospital

Families of victims in a frozen lake tragedy that killed three children “can’t wake from this nightmare”, one of the boy’s aunt has said.

Three boys - aged eight, 10 and 11 - died after falling through ice into water in a park in Solihull in the West Midlands on Sunday.

Another child, aged six, remains in hospital in a critical condition two days later.

According to a friend, the boys involved were trying to save a friend whose leg got stuck in the ice when they fell into the lake at Babbs Mill park near Birmingham.

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Locals have been laying tributes to the boys around the park, with a vigil held on Monday night.

“This is so amazing of all the community in this nightmare that two families can’t wake from,” one woman who shared a poster for the vigil on social media wrote. “The pain is unimaginable.”

The woman said one of the boys was her nephew, with the pain “a million times worse” for parents and siblings.

Search efforts have been ongoing at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull (Getty Images)

West Midlands Police said it would continue searching at the lake in Kingshurst in Solihull on Tuesday. The force previously said it did not believe there were any other victims but “have to be 100 per cent certain”.

One of the victims has been named locally as Jack Johnson. Authorities have not yet released any information about the victims’ identities.

Police said the six-year-old who was taken to hospital remained there in a critical condition on Tuesday morning.

(PA/Datawrapper)

Emergency services were first called to the scene at 2.36pm on Sunday, where it was reported four children had been playing on the ice and fallen through into the lake.

Members of the public and police officers initially went into the chilly waters to try to get the youngsters out, before the children were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters.

In a press conference on Monday, the West Midlands Police chief said an officer “was trying to punch through the ice” to rescue the children. He suffered mild hypothermia but has since been released from hospital.

Members of West Midlands Fire Service have paid tribute to the three boys who died (PA)

Tributes have been laid down to the boys who died (PA)

The children pulled from the water were given immediate life support by ambulance and fire service personnel before being rushed to two Birmingham hospitals; Birmingham Children’s and Heartlands, where they all arrived in critical condition.

On Monday, police confirmed three had died after suffering cardiac arrests.