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'It's not safe': Chilling screams from onlookers before three boys, aged 8, 10 and 11, fell into icy lake and died

'Two of them had gone onto the lake and people were shouting at them that it wasn't safe,' the eyewitness reportedly said

SOLIHULL, UNITED KINGDOM: The death of three boys in a tragic drowning incident at a lake in Solihull has shocked the country as people from all corners of the world mourn them. Amid various tributes pouring in for the deceased, witnesses at the incident have reportedly spoken out about what they saw and heard of the devastating deaths.

As per LADBible, a mental health support worker named Sophie, 23, was one of the first people to watch the tragedy unfold. She was at the lake at the time the boys drowned and she recalled that people around the lake were shouting at the boys, asking them not to go on the ice and that it was not safe at all. She spoke about how she had come in with her friends to the scene on that afternoon and noticed the boys playing on the frozen lake.

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According to a report by LADBible, Sophie said, "I got here with my friends at 2.45pm. There were a group of youngsters playing near the lake which was completely iced over. Two of them had gone onto the lake and people were shouting at them that it wasn't safe.”

Then, she recounted the exact moment things started to go south. One of the boys went into the lake when the ice had unexpectedly cracked. Then the other boys had gone into the lake to help the drowning child, only to fall into the water themselves. "Then the ice cracked and the leg of one of the boys went in. The other three on the bank then went in to help and soon they were all in trouble," Sophie reportedly said.

Ian Courts, the leader of the Solihull council, and his deputy Karen Grinsell had come to the cordon at the Babbs Mill lake and spoken out about the tragedy. “This is just about as bad as it gets… a dreadful situation. We are completely stunned at what’s happened. We are still awaiting more news. Clearly our thoughts and prayers have to be with the families in this situation. I can hardly imagine what the families are going through,” Ian reportedly said.

The incident has authorities to issue warnings against going near frozen lakes and other frozen water bodies, with parents being urged to keep their children away from the cold water and ensure their supervision. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue had received a call about an incident involving another set of young people playing on a freezing lake. They had posted a tweet about the issue that read, “Please speak to the youngsters in your life about the dangers of doing this - as we’ve seen in the #SolihullLakeTragedy the consequences can be tragic. Stay safe.”