‘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’
Two children are thought to be missing and feared dead after four were rushed to hospital suffering a cardiac arrest after falling through ice while playing on a frozen lake in Birmingham on Sunday.
The children, who are thought to have been playing on the ice in Babbs Mill Park in Kinghurst, Solihull, were pulled from the water in below-zero temperatures. Emergency services were notified just after 2.30pm.
At a press conference on Sunday evening police said they had initially been told six children had fallen into the lake.
Reports on Monday morning suggested search and rescue crews had worked through the night, but due to freezing conditions, authorities said on Sunday it would no “longer be a search and rescue” operation.
Four children were rushed to hospital where they are on life support, authorities said on Sunday
Police have not said if the children were siblings or their gender at this stage.
A police cordon is still in place at Babbs Mill park in Solihull this morning. Search and rescue teams have been working through the night after several people fell through the ice yesterday. Four children remain in hospital #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/igv2ZJzqSn
— Heart Midlands News (@HeartMidsNews) December 12, 2022
Search and rescue teams with boats and equipment have been coming up from the pond in Babbs Mill Park #Solihull where the serious incident has taken place. We are expecting more details and an update from police in the next hour @bbcwm @bbcmtd pic.twitter.com/hvmLxNh3XK
— Megan Jones (@MegannJ) December 11, 2022
We are currently at the scene of a serious incident at Babbs Mill Park, Fordbridge Road, #Kingshurst, #Solihull.
A number of people have been pulled from a lake and are being transported to hospital. They are believed to be in a critical condition. pic.twitter.com/lYUB6kZJRK
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) December 11, 2022
West Midlands Ambulance Service tactical commander Cameron McVittie 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 where the fire service arrived at the scene they were told “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.”
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.”
Stanton said given the freezing conditions, people should stay away from open water and not venture onto ice.
Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, 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.
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