Four children are fighting for their lifes after falling through ice on a lake in Solihull, as temperatures continue to plummet across the UK.
Police said the children were pulled from the lake in Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon. They were in cardiac arrest when they were rescued and were rushed from the Kingshurst area to hospital, where they remain on life support.
A desperate search of the water is ongoing amid fears others are missing, after the fire service was told there were up to six in the water.
Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, told an emergency services press conference on Sunday evening: “Four children were rescued from the lake and subsequently taken to hospital.
“On behalf of West Midlands Police we understand how distressing this is for families and the wider community and we are doing everything we can support all those involved.”
He told reporters that the force, which was called to the incident at 2.36pm, would not confirm whether the children were siblings or their gender at this stage.
He added that officers from all the emergency services went into the water to help the rescue. One police officer suffered mild hypothermia and is making a “full recovery” after being taken to hospital.
West Midlands Fire Service area commander Richard Stanton said reports from the scene and social media indicated that “a number of children had been playing on the ice on a lake and had fallen through the ice”.
He added: “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.
“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.”
Mr Stanton said the fire service was made aware there were up to six people in the water. “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.
Specialist rescue teams are set to continue searching the lake overnight.
Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands Ambulance, said all four children were in critical condition when they arrived at hospital.
“Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support en route to hospital,” he added.
Asked if they know how long the children were in the water for, he said: “Unfortunately not at this stage.”
Babbs Mill Park is a local nature reserve with a lake, river, wildflower grasslands and woodlands.
It comes the UK continues to be gripped by a cold snap, with temperatures in the area expected to plunge to -3C overnight as lows of -10C are forecast in other parts of the country.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of ice, fog and snow for much of the UK.
The warnings are in place from Sunday until Monday morning for northern and southwestern Scotland, Northern Ireland, northeastern England, the Midlands and South West as well as London and the South East.
