Solihull frozen lake deaths: Boy got his leg stuck in ice and the others tried to help, friend says – as police confirm three deaths
A friend of one of the boys who died after falling through an icy lake in Solihull has told how the events unfolded.
Tommy Barnet, 10, said one of the boys got his legs stuck in the ice before his friends rushed over to help him, but they all fell in.
Police confirmed on Monday that three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 died after falling through ice into Babbs Mill Lake in Solihull.
A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident on Sunday afternoon.
Tommy told Sky News: “They were all playing on the ice, one got their legs stuck in the ice and then… his friends went to go and save him, but they all fell in.
“When it was summer, we used to go in the woods and play hide and seek next to the lake. But I wasn’t here yesterday.”
“It’s so sad, I am upset,” Tommy said, as he described how the community was waiting to hear the names of the other boys involved.
“They want them [the police] to reveal more information about it just to make sure who it is.”
One of the boys who did not survive has been named locally as 10-year-old Jack Johnson, who has been described to Sky News as a “hero” because he went into the lake to try to save others.
A search is continuing after unconfirmed reports up to six children may have fallen in, but authorities warned it is “no longer a search and rescue operation”.
The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out.
They were taken to hospital but police said three of them “could not be revived”.
Reports from the scene and social media videos indicate they were playing on the ice and fell through, the fire service said.
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Officer ‘tried to punch through the ice’
Search teams were still using boats and wading in the lake on Monday – and police said they would continue until they are “100% certain” there are no other victims.
One of the first officers on the scene entered the lake in his uniform and tried to punch through the ice to help the boys, said Superintendent Richard Harris from West Midlands Police.
Members of the public also jumped in.
Firefighters and specialist water teams arrived at the lake and managed to pull the boys out. They were given CPR and taken to hospital but all four arrived in a critical condition.
Police said it’s currently unclear how long they were in the freezing water.
One witness told Sky News he’d seen firefighters smashing the ice and a number of people in distress.
A search of the lake was continuing on Monday
The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out
The children’s names haven’t yet been released and police said they were supporting their “absolutely devastated” families.
The boys’ school friends are also getting support.
Emergency workers on the lake on Sunday evening
Teams in boats used torches to continue searching the lake overnight.
One police officer involved in the initial search suffered mild hypothermia and was taken to hospital but has now been discharged.
Superintendent Harris said at Monday lunchtime that they were still trying to piece together exactly what happened but no one had contacted them to report anyone else missing.
But because of conflicting reports about how many children were on the lake, the search will continue until police are certain no one else went in.
Two women left flowers at the scene on Monday
Members of West Midlands Fire Service pay tribute to three boys who died after falling through ice into a lake at Kingshurst
The lake on Sunday morning. Pic: Sarah Lovatt
Local MP Saqib Bhatti visited the scene on Monday and praised emergency services for their “heroic” efforts.
“The (search) operation went on all night in these really tough conditions,” he said, adding that “the whole community will be feeling the pain of this”.
Police have asked people not to speculate or share any video of the incident.
Richard Stanton, area commander for West Midlands Fire Service, urged parents and carers to remind their children about the dangers of frozen water.
He said: “Please, adults and children alike, stay away from open water. Under no circumstances venture onto ice, regardless how thick or safe you think this ice may be.”
Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.
It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.
However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.
Captain Virgil van Dijk (centre) celebrates. Pic: Reuters
Salah on his knees in celebration after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott (below) and Jarell Quansah celebrate after full-time. Pic: PA
Slot cheers after the full-time whistle. Pic: AP
In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.
The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.
But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.
“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”
Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas poses with a Premier League trophy cut out. Pic: Reuters
Manager Arne Slot and his team after the final whistle. Pic: AP
Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.
He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”
Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.
Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.
Mohamed Salah takes a selfie with fans after scouring the fourth Liverpool goal. Pic: AP
Fans at Anfield during the game. Pic: AP
Fans in the stands at Anfield before full-time. Pic: Reuters
Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.
It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.
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Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
Read more:
Sky’s Beth Rigby running marathon in honour of ‘dearest friend’
Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform
Pic: LNP
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
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