Two children die after plunging into frozen lake

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Two children have tragically died after a frozen lake tragedy in New York.

A 12-year-old boy found himself in fatal danger after plunging into a frozen lake when an 11-year-old girl dove in and attempted to save him, reports the Mirror.

The horror incident occurred at around 4.35pm local time on Saturday in Albany, New York, when the boy - believed to have been walking across the frozen lake - plunged through ice into the water below.

According to the Albany Police Department the boy was walking across the frozen Washington Park Lake in the direction of a lake house.

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Emergency services raced to the scene after receiving a call about two children who had plunged through the ice.

Once officers arrived at the park, they found and rescued the 11-year-old girl, who is believed to have dived into the frozen lake in a bid to save the boy, before rushing her to hospital.

However, in an update, the force confirmed that the girl has since died.

Sharing the update, they wrote: "The 11-year-old girl rescued on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from Washington Park Lake has succumbed to her injuries.

"The Albany City School District has been notified and will continue to offer support services. The Albany Police Department extends its heartfelt condolences and support to the families and friends of both children during this difficult time."

After locating and pulling the young girl from the water, police continued to search for the 12-year-old boy, confirming that a secondary search was carried out by by members of the New York State Police underwater recovery team.

Tragically, at around 7.25pm local time, the boy's body was recovered from the lake.

"Through the investigation, it is believed that the 12-year-old boy attempted to walk north across the lake towards the lake house and fell through the ice," Albany Police said.

"It is then believed that the 11-year-old female observed the boy fall through the ice and, in an attempt to help, followed the same path of travel across the lake, where she also fell through the ice."

A local newspaper reporter was in the area at the time and claimed they overheard a person screaming and thrashing in the water and dialled 911.

Another passerby, Max Fajardo, a member of the National Guard, said he also noticed the commotion.

He said the girl "was trying to be a hero" and he rushed to his car to grab a rope to try and help.

Police have said the names of the children will not be released due to their ages, but confirmed that both are students of the Albany City School district, with News10 reporting they attended North Albany Middle School.

"Our hearts go out to the families of these students at this incredibly difficult time," Albany City School District Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said in a statement after the incident.

"This is a terrible tragedy and we are grieving as a school community."

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