Four children were taken to hospital in cardiac arrest after being pulled from a lake in freezing temperatures. Police said that the 'devastating' incident has left the victims in a critical condition in hospital.
Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst in Solihull at shortly before 3pm this afternoon (Sunday). They attended along with West Midlands Ambulance Service and West Midlands Police, reports PA.
Two of the children have been taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. An emergency services press conference was held tonight (December 11) to offer updates.
Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, said: “Four children were rescued from the lake and subsequently taken to hospital. On behalf of West Midlands Police we understand how distressing this is for families and the wider community and we are doing everything we can support all those involved.”
West Midlands Fire Service area commander Richard Stanton said four children were rescued from the lake in Solihull and taken to hospital. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday evening, he said reports from the scene and social media indicated that “a number of children had been playing on the ice on a lake and had fallen through the ice”.
He said: “When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children. Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.
“The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.”
Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands Ambulance, said: “On being rescued, the four children were taken under blue lights to hospital with an advanced care team. Two were taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. All four children were in critical condition on arrival.”
He added: “There are no updates. They are all in critical condition when they arrived in hospital.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service tactical commander Cameron McVittie added that the four children were in cardiac arrest when they came out of the water, and are currently on life support.
He said: “There’s no clinical updates at this stage, as stated they were all in a critical condition on arrival at hospital.” Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support en route to hospital."
Asked if they know how long the children were in the water for, he said: “Unfortunately not at this stage.”
On whether there have been any fatalities, he said: “There is no clinical update at this stage.”
West Midlands Police Superintendent Richard Harris told reporters that they would not confirm whether the children were siblings or their gender at this stage.
