Vigil held for 3 boys who died after falling in icy UK lake

Women lay flowers among tributes near Babbs Mill Park after the deaths of three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 who fell through ice into a lake in the West Midlands. Photo / Jacob King, PA via AP

Dozens of mourners have left teddy bears and held a candlelight vigil for three boys who died after falling into an ice-covered lake near Birmingham in central England.

Emergency workers, including a police officer who tried to punch through the ice to get to the children, pulled them from the water Sunday afternoon and rushed them to the hospital in the West Midlands, about 160km north of London. But the boys, ages 8, 10 and 11, could not be revived after suffering cardiac arrest.

A woman lays flowers among the tributes near to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull, after the deaths of three boys. Photo / AP

One of the boys who died was Jack Johnson, 10, who neighbours said had been playing on the ice, the Daily Mail reported.

Jack Johnson, 10, has been named as one of the victims of the frozen lake tragedy.

A neighbour said: “Jack and the other lads saw that it had been snowing from the flats and wanted to go and play.

“They rushed across to the park and were playing on top of the frozen lake, when the ice cracked.

“It’s so tragic. Jack was a lovely lad. I know his dad Kirk. He is devastated. My heart goes out to him.”

A fourth boy, 6, remained hospitalised in critical condition Tuesday. Police said officers would continue searching the water, although no one else was reported missing.

People look at flowers and tributes near Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst after the icy lake tragedy in the West Midlands. Photo / AP

During Monday’s vigil in Kingshurst, a neighborhood near Babbs Mill Lake, mourners placed lit candles and added flowers, toys and teddies to a sea of tributes at a makeshift shrine.

Marcus Brain, chairman of the governing board for one of the boys’ schools, told the BBC the close-knit community was struggling to process the tragedy.

“Everybody I’ve spoken to... are in an utter state of shock,” he said.

The boys fell through ice covering the lake as snow and ice blanketed much of the UK and the country recorded its coldest night of the year so far.

Scores of schools closed for a second day Tuesday, for reasons including heating failure, burst pipes and snow and ice.