Three children were killed after falling into a frozen lake in central Britain, in light of a severe cold wave associated with snowfall and ice formation, which caused disruption in transportation, especially in the vicinity of London.
Ambulance teams pulled the three children, aged 8, 10 and 11, on Sunday afternoon from a lake in Solihull, near Birmingham, and West Midlands Police said they could not be resuscitated.
She added that a fourth child, aged six, who was recovered at the same time, is still “in a critical condition in the hospital.”
“As you can imagine, the families are completely devastated,” Richard Harris of West Midlands Police told a news conference. “The approach of Christmas only adds to the tragedy.”
Searches are continuing to ensure that there are no other victims, after testimonies indicated that six people may have fallen into the water.
“No one has contacted us about other missing persons, but until we are 100 percent sure of the matter, we will continue the search throughout the day,” Harris said.
The United Kingdom has been witnessing a wave of frost for several days, with the temperature dropping to less than ten degrees Celsius in some areas, and snowfall and ice formation, especially in the north and south of the country. However, the Meteorological Authority, Met, stated that these temperatures are “not unusual for this time of the year.”
And the meteorologists announced that Sunday night was the “coldest night since the beginning of the year,” a yellow alert warning of snowfall, fog and ice in several regions, especially the southeast and southwest of the country, as well as northern Scotland.
These weather conditions caused great confusion in transportation in a number of regions, especially the capital.
Stansted airports “North London” and Gatwick “South” were forced to close their runways during the night of Sunday to Monday to remove snow from them, and several flights were cancelled.
Dozens of passengers stranded at airports in the British capital posted on social networks videos showing runways under snow and parked planes.
Stansted Airport then announced that its runways were “open and fully operational”, noting that “some flights may be delayed” due to the weather.
It also recorded great traffic confusion on the major axes in the vicinity of London, with great congestion due to snow and ice on the roads.
On Sunday evening, the drivers remained stuck for hours in their cars, as snow, fog and ice caught them by surprise, especially in Sussex, south London, where the police recommended “not moving outside cases of necessity.”
The confusion affected “Monday” the railways, with delays and cancellations of a number of trains recorded, while disturbances also occurred in some metro lines in London.
And the “Southeastern” company advised “Monday” morning not to “travel” because a number of its lines will remain closed for part of the day, and some throughout the day, due to snow and ice.
