The boy, known locally as Jack Johnson, ‘ran and tried to save’ the other children, whom he did not know and who are thought to be from the same family, according to his aunt Charlotte McIlmurray on Facebook. Dale Hewitt, a family friend, said he heard the boy’s grandfather, Peter, ‘ran down from where he lives and jumped in the lake to try to save them,’ but Jack and two other boys, aged eight and eleven, died after being pulled from the lake on Sunday, and a fourth, aged six, was fighting for his life in hospital last night. Roofer ‘It’s just heartbreaking for the family and will have a massive impact on the entire community,’ Mr Hewitt, 29, added. What has occurred is heartbreaking. I have two children, ages six and eleven months, and it has had a significant impact on me. I saw a video taken from one of the tower blocks that showed screams of ‘Help!’ coming from the lake. It was excruciating.’ Ms McIlmurray, 28, said her family was also ‘with the other family,’ adding, ‘We are just broken over it and to find out he died trying to save three lads he didn’t even know that just sums him up, he was amazing.’ One of the boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull was Jack Johnson, 10, who had been playing on the ice with his father Kirk. Others called the Sunday afternoon incident “a tragedy beyond words.” When the ice at Babbs Mill Lake in Solihull, West Midlands, gave way, the children were playing on it. ‘One got their legs stuck in the ice and then… his friends went to go and save him, but they all fell in,’ Tommy Barnet, ten, told Sky News. The boys were all in cardiac arrest when firefighters arrived after members of the public jumped in to help. All four were treated on the spot before being transported to the hospital. Initial reports indicated that up to six children had fallen into the lake, but police said they are confident that no other children were in the lake because no other children had been reported missing. West Midlands Police Superintendent Richard Harris described the boys’ families as “devastated.” He was visibly moved as he described how the first officer on the scene desperately tried to punch through the ice to save the boys. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment of mild hypothermia. Dan Hall, 38, witnessed the tragedy from his flat next to the nature reserve. Locals also gathered to send their best wishes to the fourth boy, who is still in critical condition in the hospital. Today, police officers can be seen on the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull. ‘I heard the sirens around 2.30pm,’ he said. I started down to the lake and saw a girl about 13 years old with her younger sister. The younger girl was inconsolable, repeatedly saying ‘My brother, my brother,’ while the older girl tried to calm her down by telling her not to think like that. ‘I saw a police officer emerge drenched from the lake.’ There were a lot of people who were laughing their heads off down there. ‘A police officer was comforting one man, who could have been the father of one of the children. He was in a terrible condition. ‘I saw them take the first two children from the lake and ran back to my flat to get some towels and coats,’ she says. He stated that the children were in the water for ten to fifteen minutes. The temperature was around 1C (34F) at the time, but had dropped to minus 3C the night before. Mother-of-four Katie O’Driscoll, 32, and her five-year-old daughter laid flowers at the scene yesterday. ‘I know one of the families involved,’ she said. He was 11 years old and the first person to be rescued from the lake, but he died. ‘I heard the others went in to try to save him.’ It’s difficult to comprehend what those parents are going through. It’s heartbreaking, especially so close to Christmas. ‘A dog walker also went in to assist. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the people who live here. We have a very close community.’ ‘I think they should put railings all the way around it,’ she said, adding that the lake was ‘no more than 5ft deep.’ Railings are present, but only in one small section.’ ‘To my friend Thomas,’ read one tribute left at the scene. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you. Thank you for lending me your jacket when I was freezing. To me, you were like a brother. ‘I really miss you.’

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