Two children are feared dead after four were rushed to hospital after falling through ice while playing on a frozen lake. The children, who appeared to have been playing on the ice on a lake in Babbs Mill Park in Kinghurst, Solihull, were pulled from the water in below-zero temperatures on Sunday afternoon.
Emergency services said in a press conference on Sunday evening they were told six had initially fallen into the lake. Specialist equipment is being used as the search effort continues. Authorities said it would no "longer be a search and rescue" operation.
Four children were confirmed to have been taken to hospital where they are on life support, authorities said on Sunday evening in a press conference.
Emergency personnel search the lake at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull (Image: PA)
Police have not confirmed if the children were siblings or their gender at this stage. West Midlands Ambulance Service tactical commander Cameron McVittie added that the four children were in cardiac arrest when they came out of the water, and are currently on life support.
He said: "There's no clinical updates at this stage, as stated they were all in a critical condition on arrival at hospital."
He added: "Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support en route to hospital."
He said two were taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander, said: "When the fire service arrived at the scene, we were 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."
Four children are in a critical condition (Image: PA)
He 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."
He added: He added: “The weather for the coming days is expected to be bitterly cold. We’d say to everyone please stay away from open water and please do not venture onto ice."
Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, told an emergency services press conference: “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.”
Emergency services at the scene (Image: birminghammail)
He added said that officers from all the emergency services went into the water to help the rescue, with a police officer subsequently being taken to hospital.
He said: “When officers first arrived on the scene, they went into the lake, together with fire and ambulance colleagues. It was a combined effort of all officers going into the lake to try to rescue them.”
The press conference heard that one of the police officers suffered mild hypothermia and is making a “full recovery” in hospital.
Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, a nature park in Solihull, at 2.36pm on Sunday, with reports from the scene and social media indicating that children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through into the lake.
Emergency services were made aware that up to six people may have been in the water, with specialist rescue teams continuing to search the lake overnight.
It comes after a weekend of snow and freezing frost with the severe conditions set to continue over the next few days, including temperatures as low as minus 10C.
The press conference heard that one of the police officers suffered mild hypothermia and is making a “full recovery” in hospital.
