Three boys aged 11, 10 and eight have died after being pulled from an icy lake in Solihull on Sunday, West Midlands Police said.
A fourth boy, aged six, still remains in critical condition following the incident. Police have also confirmed that a search of the lake is continuing after reports of up to six children fell in.
However, authorities have warned that it is "no longer a search and rescue operation". After the rescue team pulled out the four children, they were all in a state of cardiac arrest.
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In an update on Monday morning, West Midlands Police said: “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.”
Richard Stanton, the fire service's area commander previously said: "The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues."
In regard to the search for any other children who may have been involved in the incident, Mr Stanton said: "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."
Mr Stanton also warned: "We know that the weather forecast for the next few days is expected to be bitterly cold. Please, adults and children alike, stay away from open water.
"Under no circumstances venture on to ice, regardless how thick or safe you think this ice may be."
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