Solihull: Hero 10-year-old boy died trying to rescue others from freezing lake

Jack Johnson was one of three boys who passed away following the tragic incident

Tributes have been paid to a 10-year-old who died after bravely running into a frozen lake in Solihull to try and save “lads he didn’t even know.”

On Sunday, four children were taken to hospital and placed on life support after they fell into a frozen lake in Solihull.

The children were thought to have been playing on the ice in Babbs Mill Park in Kinghurst when it broke around 2.30pm.

Three boys, aged eight, 10 and 11 were taken to hospital and placed on life support after suffering cardiac arrest. On Monday authorities confirmed they had all died.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition, and on Monday was described as being “very poorly”.

Nobody else has been reported missing after the deaths, police said.

Jack Johnson has since been identified by a family member as the 10-year-old who passed away.

According to Jack’s aunt, Charlotte McIlmurray, the youngster didn’t know the other children involved in the tragedy but bravely ran in to help those in trouble when he heard screams from the lake.

She posted on Facebook: “The 10-year-old boy is my nephew. He saw one go through the ice and he ran and tried to save them.

“Our prayers and thoughts are with the other family. We are just broken over it.

“To find out he died trying to save 3 lads he didn’t even know, that just sums him up. He was amazing.”

It was initially thought that six children were playing when the accident happened, but police said on Monday that they don’t believe anyone else in the lake.

Regardless, Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, said officers will continue searching until they can be absolutely certain, saying officers will remain at the scene “for as long as it takes”.

Temperatures across the country plummeted over the weekend with lows of just 1C being reported in Solihull at the time of the incident, which fell to -3C overnight.

A fire service spokesman said the tragedy highlighted the dangers of frozen water. “It can look picturesque but can be lethal,” he said. “Please help avoid this from happening again.”

At a press conference on Monday, Harris, told of the heroic efforts of emergency workers who “went into the lake itself to help rescue the children and to try and assist them as quickly as we possibly could” with one suffering mild-hypothermia after trying to “punch through the ice” to save them.

He said the officer and other emergency workers went in the icy waters without any specialist clothing or equipment, and “without any regard for their safety”.

Harris refused to confirm any further details about the boys at the request of their families who are “absolutely devastated”.

“It is incredibly sad that we don’t not have any better news for you today regarding yesterday’s incident. We are deeply saddened by the death of three boys,” he told journalists.

Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Area Commander, said the deaths were a “tragedy beyond words”.

He described the incident as a “stark reminder to us all” of the dangers of open water.

Stanton added: “Frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs can look picturesque but can be lethal.

“We would ask parents and carers to remind their children of the dangers of ice. Please help us to avoid this happening again.”

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