Two young British brothers have been found dead in a lake in Germany, it has been reported. The boys, aged seven and nine, are believed to have been discovered in a lake near Aachen, close to the Belgian and Dutch borders, on Thursday evening.
The youngsters had been reported missing by their parents some hours earlier, reports the Mirror. Their bodies were later found in the water of the Rurberg natural outdoor pool in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Rescuers desperately tried to revive their lifeless bodies at the scene, before they were airlifted to the University Hospital in Aachen and a children's hospital in Cologne, German news site WLZ reports. They were later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Local police have been unable to say why the accident happened and the public prosecutor's office is currently examining whether there is a suspicion of a criminal offence.
A spokeswoman said it could be a form of negligence, but stressed: "We don't focus on anyone, in particular, we just do our job."
The deaths come after a 16-year-old also recently died at the same location.
From January to July, 30 people drowned in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the lake is located, which is 14 more than in the first seven months of the previous year.
According to the German Life Saving Society (DLRG), 14 people drowned in rivers, ten in lakes and two in a canal. The other victims died in a stream, in a pool, in a swimming pool or in a pond.
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