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Solihull lake: Three boys aged 8, 10 and 11 dead after falling through ice

Ross McGuinness
Updated ·5-min read
(PA)
Three boys have died after falling through the ice at a lake near Birmingham. (PA)

Three boys have died after being pulled from a lake at a nature park in Solihull.

The boys, aged eight, 10 and 11, were taken to hospital after suffering cardiac arrest having fallen through ice at Babbs Mill Park, in Kingshurst, on Sunday.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital while officers continue to search the lake to establish whether anyone else fell into the water, amid fears that two more children may be missing.

A West Midlands Police statement said: “Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon.

Watch: Three children have died after falling into an icy lake

“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.

“We’ve been working alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services as we do all we can to support those involved.

“Searches of the lake are continuing as we seek to establish exactly what happened and if anyone else fell into the water.

Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. Four children are in critical condition in hospital after being pulled from an icy lake in cardiac arrest, while a search operation continues amid fears two more children were involved in the incident. Picture date: Monday December 12, 2022.
Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Solihull, where three children died after falling into an icy lake. (PA)
The scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. Four children are in critical condition in hospital after being pulled from an icy lake in cardiac arrest, while a search operation continues amid fears two more children were involved in the incident. Picture date: Monday December 12, 2022.
The scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, on Monday. (PA)
Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. Four children are in critical condition in hospital after being pulled from an icy lake in cardiac arrest, while a search operation continues amid fears two more children were involved in the incident. Picture date: Monday December 12, 2022.
Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, where three children died after falling into an icy lake. (PA)

“We understand how distressing this is for the families and the wider community.

“We would ask people to not speculate or share any video footage at this stage.”

At a press conference on Monday, police said they have had no contact from anyone suggesting there are others missing but will keep searching to make “100% certain”.

Superintendent Richard Harris, from West Midlands Police, said: “We have 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’s anybody else missing but until we’re 100% certain we will be carrying on searches throughout the course of today.”

At Downing Street, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Obviously this is devastating news for the family and friends of those who have died, this is a tragic incident.

“The prime minister’s thoughts are with them and obviously he passes his thanks to the emergency services who are continuing to work and provide support.”

Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park, a nature park in Solihull, at 2.36pm on Sunday, with reports from the scene and social media indicating that children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through into the lake.

Local fire, police and ambulance chiefs told a press conference on Sunday evening that four children were rescued from the water in cardiac arrest and taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Emergency services were made aware that up to six people may have been in the water, with specialist rescue teams continuing to search the lake overnight.

Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. Four children are in critical condition in hospital after being pulled from an icy lake in cardiac arrest, while a search operation continues amid fears two more children were involved in the incident. Picture date: Monday December 12, 2022.
Police officers at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, on Monday. (PA)
Emergency crews continued searching for casualties on Sunday night. (SWNS)
Emergency crews continued searching for people on Sunday evening. (SWNS)
Police at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull after a serious incident where several people are believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake. Picture date: Sunday December 11, 2022.
Police at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, where four children were pulled from a lake. (PA)
Emergency personnel at the scene near Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull after a serious incident where several people are believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake. Picture date: Sunday December 11, 2022.
Emergency personnel at the scene near Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, on Sunday evening. (PA)

One police officer suffered mild hypothermia and is making a “full recovery” in hospital.

It comes after a weekend of snow and freezing frost with the severe conditions set to continue over the next few days, including temperatures as low as minus 10C.

Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti visited the scene at Babbs Mill lake on Monday, along with the leader of Solihull Council Ian Courts and deputy leader Karen Grinsell, with each praising emergency services for their heroic efforts to pull the children from the water.

Bhatti said: “Clearly there is one officer who has mild hypothermia. In these conditions not to worry about your own safety and just to go after those children is heroic.

“The whole community will be feeling the pain of this.”

Cllr Courts said: “This is just about as bad as it gets… a dreadful situation.

“We are completely stunned at what’s happened.

“Clearly our thoughts and prayers have to be with the families in this situation. I can hardly imagine what the families are going through.”

Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander, told the press conference on Sunday: “When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children.

Emergency personnel search the lake at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull after a serious incident where several people are believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake. Picture date: Sunday December 11, 2022.
Four children were pulled from the lake after reportedly playing on the ice. (PA)
Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull after a serious incident where several people are believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake. Picture date: Sunday December 11, 2022.
Police at the scene where four children were pulled from an icy lake near Birmingham on Sunday. (PA)

“Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.

“The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.”

Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. (PA)
Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull. (PA)
Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull after a serious incident where several people are believed to be in a critical condition after being pulled from the lake. Picture date: Sunday December 11, 2022.
Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, on Sunday. (PA)

He later added that they were “made aware there were up to six people in the water” when firefighters arrived.

“So after rescuing the four children, we have continued the search and rescue operation to confirm whether there were any more in the water,” he said.

He added: “The specialist medical advice we have been given on the scene, given the temperature of the water, given the age of those who entered the water and the amount of time they have been in there, this would no longer be a search and rescue operation.”

Watch: MP reacts to incident at Solihull lake