Two of the young boys who died after falling into a frozen lake were brothers, it has been revealed, as an official fundraiser for the "Little Princes" hits £10,000.
A six-year-old boy became the fourth child to die in the tragedy yesterday, after fighting for his life in a critical condition since Sunday afternoon.
HIs older brother, aged eight, had passed away in the early hours of Monday after the incident at Babbs Mill nature reserve in Solihull in the UK, Mirror.co.uk reports.
Two other boys, 10-year-old Jack Johnson - understood to be a cousin of the brothers - and an 11-year-old named locally as Thomas, also lost their lives.
A father of one of the youngsters, a dog walker and a student police officer had waded into the icy water in a desperate attempt to rescue the youngsters.
An official fundraiser has now been set up for the four boys' families, raising over £10,000 at the time of writing. It has the backing of the families involved, being shared online by a number of relatives.
It 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."
Brave Jack died a hero after falling in while trying to save the other children.
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."
A candlelit vigil was held for the victims on Monday night, and a second one will take place this Saturday at 4pm.
Jack's aunt, Charlotte McIlmurray, encouraged anyone wishing to pay their respects to gather where flowers are being laid on Fordbridge Road.
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 moms, dads, sisters/brothers.
Emergency services were first called to the scene at 2.36pm on Sunday, where it was reported four children had been playing on the ice and fallen through into the lake.
Members of the public and police officers initially went into the chilly waters to try to get the youngsters out, before the children were reached by specialist water rescue-trained firefighters who got the group to safety.
Those pulled from the water were given immediate life support by ambulance and fire service personnel before being rushed to two Birmingham hospitals; Birmingham Children's and Heartlands, where they all arrived in critical condition.
West Midlands Police confirmed the death of the youngest victim 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."
Police have completed their searches and the cordon at the lake was lifted on Wednesday evening.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
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