A six-year-old boy has become the fourth child to die after falling into an icy lake in Solihull on Sunday, police have said.
In a statement following the death of the child, one of four pulled from the lake by emergency services, West Midlands Police said: "It is with heartfelt sadness that we have to report this afternoon, the six-year-old in hospital has lost his fight for life.
"Our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of those involved in this tragedy.
"We cannot comprehend the enormity of the pain they must feel and our hearts go out to them."
The deaths of the other boys, aged eight, 10 and 11, after suffering cardiac arrest having fallen through ice at Babbs Mill Park, in Kingshurst, was confirmed on Monday.
They were eventually pulled out by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters. One policeman, on one of his first-ever patrols, punched through ice to try to reach the boys.
Tributes were paid to “amazing” Jack Johnson, 10, whose family said died trying to rescue the three others who had fallen in.
West Midlands Fire Service, which was also involved in the effort to rescue the boys, said it was “devastated” to hear the news.
It added: “We wish the family strength and comfort in these tragic circumstances.”
It came as witnesses revealed the harrowing scenes in the aftermath of the tragedy.
One grandfather of the boys reportedly rushed to the scene and dived in in a vain attempt to save the life of his grandson.
While Dan Hall, 38, told The Telegraph he saw a young girl screaming for her brother.
He said: “She was a relative. She’d come down to help and met up with a younger girl who was hysterical, saying: ‘My brother, my brother’.
“The teenage girl was trying to comfort her younger cousin and saying it was going to be alright, but she had only just arrived and the younger girl had seen what had happened.
“You looked at what was happening and knew deep down that they were struggling to make it. It was just harrowing.
“Some people were very brave, and the emergency services were amazing.”
Another witness claimed on Facebook: “I heard a poor woman scream my son is in the lake, I flew down the stairs in the flat with coats and blankets to try and help and even offered to dive into the lake.”
Hundreds of floral tributes and toys have been left at a site near the lake.
Jack’s aunt Charlotte McIlmurray said he had bravely entered the water to rescue the three other boys.
She posted on Facebook to thank the tight-knit community who held an overnight vigil at the park. She said: “Our family is all over the place but we all appreciate every prayer, apology and condolence to us. Thank you, you are all being amazing.”
