A BBC News presenter was overcome with emotion as she confirmed the heartbreaking news that three children had died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull.
West Midlands Police confirmed on Monday morning that three boys, aged eight, 10 and 11, had died after being pulled from the water in Babbs Mill Park on Sunday, while a fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital. It was reported that the four children had been playing on the ice when the tragic incident occurred, and members of the public waded into the freezing waters in an attempt to rescue the youngsters before they were eventually reached by specialist firefighters.
As the news broke, BBC News presenter Joanna Gosling had the difficult job of confirming the deaths to viewers at home as she learned of the devastating outcome live on air. Understandably moved to tears, Joanna struggled to get her words out as she became overcome with emotion while reading the awful news.
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"I have some really sad news to bring you. We're hearing that three boys aged 11, 10 and eight, have died..." the presenter began, before taking a brief pause to compose herself as her voice wavered. As she tried to continue with the story, Joanna had to stop speaking several more times as she became increasingly choked up.
"I'm so sorry," the anchor told BBC viewers as she fought back tears. "This is terrible news, obviously."
West Midlands Police confirmed in a statement on Monday morning: "Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon. 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.
"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."
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