Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after being pulled from an icy lake in Solihull, West Midlands police said on Monday.
A fourth boy, aged six, is in critical condition in hospital after the accident in the lake in Babbs Mill Park.
Police officers were wading through lake water on Monday to establish if anyone else fell in, after reports from witnesses that up to six children may have been involved.
“Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon,” police said on Monday.
“Sadly, they could not be revived and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this deeply devastating time. We'll have specialist officers offering them as much support as we can.”
Emergency services were first called to the park near Birmingham at 2.36pm on Sunday.
Onlookers and police officers went into the freezing water to try to rescue them. They were eventually pulled out by specialist firefighters.
They were given life support by ambulance and fire service personnel before being taken to two hospitals, Birmingham Children's and Heartlands, all arriving in critical condition.
Solihull Council leader Ian Courts and deputy Karen Grinsell visited the lake, where both praised the bravery of rescue teams working in bitterly cold conditions.
“This is just about as bad as it gets … a dreadful situation,” Mr Courts said. “We are completely stunned at what's happened.
“We are still awaiting more news. Clearly our thoughts and prayers have to be with the families in this situation.
“I can hardly imagine what the families are going through.”
Temperatures were at about 1°C in the area at the time of the incident and fell to -3°C overnight.
“Our hearts absolutely go out to the families and friends of the youngsters that have been involved,” Ms Grinsell said.
“What we have to say is thank you to the emergency services that were on scene instantly and the people that went in. Clearly they went into the water and put their own lives at risk.”
