Two children are still believed to be missing after four youngsters were pulled from an ice lake yesterday afternoon and rushed to hospital while suffering from cardiac arrest. Specialist rescue teams continued to search the lake in Babbs Mill Park overnight after emergency services were 'made aware there were up to six people in the water'.
Four children were rescued after they fell into the iced over lake in Kinghurst park on December 11 at around 2.26pm but have been left in 'critical' condition, Yorkshire Live reports. Emergency services raced to the scene after reports from the scene and social media updates suggested the children playing on the lake had fallen through.
Local fire, police and ambulance chiefs confirmed in a press conference on Sunday evening that four kids had been pulled from the water in Solihull and were left in a critical state in hospital after going into cardiac arrest. However, emergency services now say up to six people may have been in the water.
Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service area commander, told a press conference: "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." When firefighters arrived, he added they were 'made aware there were up to six people in the water'.
He said: "So after rescuing the four children, we have continued the search and rescue operation to confirm whether there were any more in the water. 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."
Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands Ambulance Service, confirmed: "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. Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support on route to hospital".
The press conference also heard that a police officer has suffered from mild hypothermia following the incident and is now making a 'full recovery' in hospital.
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