The UK's West Midlands Police has confirmed that three children have died after falling through ice on a lake in Solihull.
As reported by Sky News, authorities have confirmed the death of three boys aged eight, 10, and 11.
Police say that a fourth child - aged six - is currently in a critical condition.
A rescue operation was launched on Sunday (December 11) after reports that up to six children fell in the icy lake at Babbs Mill Park.
Officers were photographed wading into the lake with freezing waters coming up to their chests.
Tragically, West Midlands Police say the operation is "no longer a search and rescue operation", after reporting that four children were in cardiac arrest when they were pulled out of the lake.
Officials say those who lose their lives "could not be revived" despite being rushed to hospital and have not yet confirmed that anyone else is missing. The names of the deceased are also yet to be released.
Social media videos and reports from the scene claim the children had been playing on the ice when it caved in unexpectedly.
Police and members of the public were already in the icy water attempting to rescue the children who fell in when the West Midlands Fire Service arrived on Sunday, they confirmed.
West Midlands fire chief Richard Stanton said during a news conference on Sunday, via BBC, that they were told on arrival that up to six people had fallen into the lake, adding: "We have continued search operations in order to confirm whether there were any more in the water."
He later added that it would no longer be a "search and rescue operation", due to how cold the water is, the length of time they had been in the water, and the age of those who had fallen in.
Emergency services had been called shortly after 2:30 PM GMT on Sunday, with the first ambulance arriving at the scene in just seven minutes.
One officer from the West Midlands Police had also suffered "mild hypothermia" during the rescue mission and was taken to hospital as a "precaution".
The UK's Met Office warned of the dangers of frozen lakes during the cold spell, saying in a statement: "With temperatures set to struggle to get much above freezing over the coming days across much of the country, stretches of water such as rivers and ponds are at risk of freezing.
"While frozen rivers and ponds can be fascinating, they can be dangerous and a hazard to life."
Our thoughts go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.
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