Four children have been pulled from a lake in cardiac arrest and taken to hospital after falling through ice at a nature park in Solihull.

Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst at 2.36pm on Sunday, with reports from the scene and social media indicating that children had been playing on the ice and had fallen through.

Superintendent Richard Harris, of West Midlands Police, told an emergency services press conference on Sunday evening: “Four children were rescued from the lake and subsequently taken to hospital.

“On behalf of West Midlands Police we understand how distressing this is for families and the wider community and we are doing everything we can to support all those involved.”

Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull
Emergency personnel at the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull (Jacob King/PA)

West Midlands Fire Service area commander Richard Stanton said: “When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children.

“Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.

“The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.”

Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: “On being rescued, the four children were taken under blue lights to hospital with an advanced care team.

“Two were taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. All four children were in critical condition on arrival.”

He added: “There are no updates. They were all in critical condition when they arrived in hospital.”