Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight; their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, died after falling into Babbs Mill Lake in the UK last Sunday.
Four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been named by police.
Three of the boys, Jack, Thomas and Finlay, died Sunday after falling into Babbs Mill Lake.
Samuel was taken to hospital in critical condition but died later.
In a statement, released via West Midlands Police, parents of Thomas, Finlay and Samuel, said: “As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances. We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming. We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack’s family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve,” reports Sky.
Thomas’ older brother paid tribute to him and his cousin in a statement released before Samuel’s death.
He wrote: “Thomas was such a lively little soul, he had a big heart for such a young kid and he was so beautiful. He loved being outside playing with his mates. I love you Tom, big bro will take care of the family and I will see you soon,” reports Sky.
Jack Johnson’s school, St Anthony’s Catholic Primary School in Solihull, paid tribute to the 10-year-old, whom they described as “loving bubbly pupil with a heart of gold”, reports Sky.
Headteacher Cieran Flaherty said in a statement: “(He was) someone who would always check in on others and make sure they were doing ok,” reports Sky.
Friends say the children were playing around the frozen lake on Sunday when one of the boys’ leg fell off.
According to a friend, the other three children fell into the water trying to help him.
The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out and 911 calls took them to the hospital.
Police say Finlay and Thomas died shortly after and Jack also died on Sunday. Samuel died in hospital on Wednesday, officials confirmed.
Extensive underwater searches were conducted after the incident and are now complete, police said.
Superintendent Rich Harris described the incident as a “tragedy beyond words”.
In a statement, he said: “(The) grief is unimaginable for the families and friends of the boys. The support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for the bereaved families, but also for the emergency services, for which we are extremely grateful. Our officers will remain in the area in the coming days. Please come and speak to us if you need to,” reports Sky.
Premier League stars pay tribute
It comes as Aston Villa stars Tyrone Mings and John McGinn paid their respects to the boys on Wednesday.
Premier League footballers have visited a makeshift memorial erected near the site of the crash.
Speaking to Sky News at the memorial, Mings said he and McGinn made a “personal choice” to pay their respects.
Mings said: “I think it has impacted the whole city and we thought it was important to come down on a personal level, just to show that we were supporting. Sometimes, as we have seen with other things that have happened across the city, there are things more important than football. We thought it was important to come down, show our respects, and show we are thinking about everything that has happened. There will be lots of supporters who will have been impacted by what has happened, and we feel that pain too,” reports Sky.
Mings and McGinn spent a few moments in silence looking at the hundreds of freebies, cards, bouquets of flowers, children’s toys and balloons placed at the base of a tree near Babbs Mill Park.
The boys’ funerals will start to be planned this week.
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