It was on December 11 last year that West Midlands Police were called to Babbs Mill Lake in England following reports that four children had fallen into the water.

The children were four boys Jack Johnson (10), brothers Samuel (6) and Finlay Butler (8) and their cousin Thomas Stewart (11).

The boys reportedly fell through the ice, one by one, trying to feed the ducks.

The newspaper reports The Guardian.

Fallen through the ice

It was Samuel, Finlay and Thomas who were initially on the ice to feed the birds.

Finlay had fallen through the ice first, whereupon his cousin Thomas jumped in to save him. When he couldn’t do it alone, Samuel also threw himself in to help. At the same time, the three children were lying in the cold icy water, writes the diary further.

Ten-year-old Jack Johnson came running towards the frozen lake after hearing the screams of the other boys. According to The Guardian, he tried to save these children, but he himself died during the rescue attempt.

All the children drowned in the cold water.

– This is a terrible tragedy where the lives of several children were lost. They only tried to help each othercriminal investigator James Edmonds told the newspaper.

He says the children were found in the water approx. half an hour after the terrible tragedy. The frost and the depth of the lake prevented them from reaching the children at first.

In hospital after trend treatment

– Damn it

– All were sent to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead, he says further, and adds that the children probably suffered from cold shock in their bodies.

– We couldn’t do anything more for them.

An entire community is in shock and grief after this tragic event. Many describe the children as “loving, good, kind young people who had their whole lives ahead of them.”

– We will always miss your laughter. Too damned, writes a family member on a memorial page a family member created.

“They followed their hearts and risked their lives to save themselves. It’s heartbreaking, beautiful – and at the same time absolutely terrible.”writes another.