A 12-year-old boy is dead and an 11-year-old girl is in critical condition after the two children fell through ice at a park in Albany, New York, authorities said Sunday.
Albany police said responded to Washington Park Lake Saturday afternoon for a report of two children who had fallen through the ice. Officers found an 11-year-old girl who was treated at the scene and taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital in critical condition.
Members of the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team later searched the lake and at approximately 7:25 p.m., the boy’s body was recovered from the lake.
Investigators believe the boy tried to walk north across the lake to the lake house and fell through the ice, and the girl who saw him fall tried to help. It appears he “followed the same path of travel across the lake, where he also fell through the ice,” police said.
Both children are students at North Albany Middle School, the district confirmed posting on social networks.
“Our hearts go out to the families of these students at this incredibly difficult time,” Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said in a statement. “This is a terrible tragedy and we are distraught as a school community.”
according to New York Department of Environmental ConservationWashington Park Lake covers over 5 acres and has an average depth of 6.6 feet and a maximum depth of 11 feet.
Erica Sheer, who did not know the children, he told CBS affiliate WRGB-TV who came to the lake on Sunday to honor them.
“Well, I decided I’d take a walk over here just to pay my respects to the place where this happened and pray for the boy and girl that was in the accident yesterday and their families and wish them the best.” Sheer told the station.