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Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake near Solihull.
A police officer tried to punch through the ice as he and others attempted to rescue the children in Babbs Mill Park, Kingshurst, on Sunday.
A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled from the icy water.
Family members affected by the tragedy are “absolutely devastated”, said Supt Richard Harris of West Midlands Police.
Supt Harris said all police who went to the scene had entered the water with no regard for their own safety or with any special clothing – some going in waist-deep.
“One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice to actually rescue the children themselves,” he said.
“That officer, as a result of that, had some mild hypothermia yesterday. I’m pleased to say he’s now been released from hospital and he’s absolutely fine.”
Searches are continuing at the lake and Supt Harris said teams wanted make “100% certain that there is no-one else possibly in the water at this time”.
“It’s important to stress though that we’ve had no contact from anybody suggesting that there is anybody else missing.”
He added officers were still trying to work through all the details of the incident and could not say how long the boys had been in the water before emergency services arrived.
Supt Harris said officers had arrived within minutes of the first call, which came in at about 14:30 GMT.
The force said its thoughts were with the family and friends of the boys “at this deeply devastating time” and would have specialist officers on hand to support them.
Richard Stanton, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Area Commander, described the deaths as “a tragedy beyond words”.
Members of the public and police officers initially went into the freezing water to try to get the youngsters out, before the children were reached by specialist firefighters.
Temperatures are thought to have plunged to 1C (34F) in the area at the time of the incident, falling to -3C (26F) overnight.
A fire service spokesman said the incident served as reminder of the dangers of frozen water.
“It can look picturesque but can be lethal,” he said. “Please help avoid this from happening again.”
Staying safe near frozen lakes
- Children should not go on the ice under any circumstances
- Stay away from the edge of bodies of water as uneven terrain can make slips and falls more likely
- Whenever possible, stick to well-lit routes away from water
- Keep dogs on a lead when they’re near the ice, and don’t throw sticks or toys on to the ice
- If a pet falls in, do not go on to the ice nor into the water to rescue them, move somewhere where the dog can climb out and call them to you
Source: Royal Life Saving Society UK
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his thoughts were with the families.
He spoke to Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti, who was visiting the scene, and said it was particularly hard thinking about the case as a father of two young daughters.
Mr Bhatti praised the emergency services for their efforts.
“In these conditions, not to worry about your own safety and just to go after those children is heroic,” he said.
Nish Chauhan, from BBC Radio WM, said residents were arriving at the scene with hot drinks for the emergency workers.
One resident, Dan, told him how he had heard the sirens and had seen people running down to the site. He grabbed his jacket and ran down to see if he could help.
“It’s shocking, I haven’t really been able to sleep to be honest,” he said.
Supt Harris said there were a number of witnesses officers still wanted to speak to and appealed for anyone with information to contact the force.
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