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Solihull: Three Children Die in West Midlands Icy Lake Tragedy

Solihull Lake Deaths: Boy Got His Leg Stuck in Ice Jack & Others Tried to Help. HERO Jack 10, Died Trying to Save His Friends

Heartbreaking Tributes as Two of The Three Boys Killed in Frozen Lake Tragedy are Named Two of the tragic schoolchildren killed when they fell into an icy lake at Babbs Mill Park, Solihull, have been named, prompting
heartbreaking tributes from the local community

Daily Mail 13 DEC 2022










Jack 10, Died Trying to Save His Friends



Tributes have been paid to three schoolboys who were killed when they plunged into an icy lake.

The youngsters - two cousins aged eight and ten and an 11-year-old friend - died after falling into the water on Sunday.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains critically ill after being hauled from the freezing lake by hero emergency crews.

One of them has been named as Jack Johnson, ten. Another was named locally in floral tributes as 11-year-old Thomas.


All four had been taken to hospital in critical conditions after falling through the ice at Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon.





A police officer tried to punch through the ice as he and others attempted to rescue the children in Babbs Mill Park, Kingshurst, on Sunday.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled from the water.


Family members affected by the tragedy are "absolutely devastated", said Supt Richard Harris of West Midlands Police.

Supt Harris said all police who went to the scene had entered the water with no regard for their own safety or with any special clothing - some going in waist-deep.





"One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice to actually rescue the children themselves," he said.


"That officer, as a result of that, had some mild hypothermia yesterday. I'm pleased to say he's now been released from hospital and he's absolutely fine."


Searches are continuing at the lake and Supt Harris said teams wanted to be "100% certain that there is no-one else possibly in the water at this time".

"It's important to stress though that we've had no contact from anybody suggesting that there is anybody else missing."

A search is continuing to make "100% certain" no others are in the water, police said

Supt Harris added officers were still trying to work through all the details of the incident and could not say how long the boys had been in the water before emergency services arrived.

However, he said officers had arrived within minutes of the first call, which came in at about 14:30 GMT.

Police were being guided by the families as to how much information was made available to the media, he said, and they were doing "everything we possibly can to support them".







Firefighters lay flowers for boys who died after falling in icy lake



Members of the public and police officers initially went into the freezing water to try to get the boys out, before the children were reached by specialist fire crews.

Firefighters from Sheldon fire station - about five miles away from the park - were among those who had tried to rescue the boys.

On Monday, they laid flowers alongside a growing number of tributes at the scene and were applauded by onlookers.

Temperatures are thought to have plunged to 1C (34F) in the area at the time of the incident, falling to -3C (26F) overnight.

After their rescue, the children were rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital and Heartlands Hospital, but police said they could not be revived.




A mass of flowers, balloons, toys and messages is growing just outside the police cordon, a few hundred metres from where the boys fell through the ice on the partially frozen lake.



Families continue to come to pay their respects, many of them in tears, hugging their small children and lighting candles.

It's often a cliché to talk about close-knit communities, but Kingshurst feels like a place where that description holds true.

It's a story that's struck a nerve here after a tough 24 hours during we which learned three young lads lost their lives and another, the youngest of all, is still in a critical condition.

St Anthony's Primary School, in Kingshurst, closed to pupils on Monday but said it would reopen on Tuesday "to support our children and families the best we can".

"Never has our motto being (sic) more meaningful," it tweeted, "actions speak louder than words".

Another school, Park Hall Academy, in Castle Bromwich, also said it was aware of the tragic event at Babbs Mill lake and that thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.

"Please rest assured that anyone affected will be supported," it said.


Map of Babbs Mill Park