Two of the young boys who tragically died after falling into a frozen lake were brothers, it has been revealed. Four children have now died in the heart breaking incident after a six-year-old boy passed away yesterday after being taken to hospital following the tragedy on Sunday afternoon.
His older brother, aged eight, sadly passed away on Monday after the siblings both fell through an ice lake at Babbs Mill nature reserve in Solihull, the Mirror reports. Two other youngsters lost their lives in the devastating incident: 10-year-old Jack Johnson, who is believed to be a cousin of the brothers, and an 11-year-old named locally as Thomas.
A father of one of the young lad's had rushed onto the ice at the time of the accident as he desperately tried to save the youngsters. A fundraiser for the 'Little Princes' grief-stricken families has been organised with over £10,000 being raised at the time of writing with many relatives sharing it online.
The moving post reads: "Our hearts are broken for the four Little Princes. On Sunday, 11th December 2022, a group of children played in a local park near an open lake.
"Being children and adventurous, they forgot the dangers taught by their parents and risked going onto the icy lake. Four boys fell through the ice and into the lake.
"The frantic father of one of the lads and a dog walker entered the lake to try and help the boys. The emergency and rescue services arrived promptly and began the rescue.
"Sadly, Jack (aged 10) and a young boy (aged 11) lost their lives on Sunday, 11th December 2022. Another young boy (aged 8) passed away in the early hours of the morning on Monday, 12th December 2022.
"The younger brother of the 8-year-old, aged 6, remained in critical condition until Wednesday, 14th December 2022, when sadly, he gave up his fight and gained his wings."
Little Jack died a hero after he fell into the icy waters while trying to rescue his friends.
The fundraiser adds: "No parent expects to lose their children so young, and sadly, no amount of money would ever place them back in our arms, but with our help, we can hopefully ease the worry of the financial costs they will need to meet." On Monday night, a candlelit vigil was held for the youngsters and a second one will take place on Saturday December 17 at 4pm.
Jack's aunt, Charlotte McIlmurray, has urged anyone wishing to pay their respects to congregate on Fordbridge Road where flowers tributes are being laid.
She wrote: "This is so amazing of all the community in this nightmare that two families can't wake from. The pain is unimaginable and he was my nephew so I know the pain is a million times worse for their mums, dads, sisters/brothers.
The four children who had been playing on the ice fell through the lake on Sunday afternoon with emergency services being called out to the scene at around 2:36pm. Police officers and horrified members of the public initially went into the ice waters to try and save the children before the youngsters were rescued by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters.
All of the young victims were left in critical condition and were give immediate life support before being rushed to Birmingham Children's and Heartlands hospitals in Birmingham. West Midlands police have now sadly confirmed the death of the youngest boy last night.
The force said in a statement: "It is with heartfelt sadness 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. Specialist officers remain in contact with the family and we will issue further information as soon as we can."
Officers have completed their search at the lake and the cordon was lifted in the area on Wednesday night. You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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