After a 12-year-old boy died after falling through thin ice, the 11-year-old girl who tried to rescue him also passed away, authorities in Albany, New York, said Tuesday.
The two children were at Washington Park Lake on Saturday afternoon when the boy tried to walk across the frozen lake and fell through the ice, the Albany Police Department said in a press release on Facebook.
The girl followed to try to help the boy but she also fell through the ice, police said.
Police said they received reports of the two juveniles falling through the ice around 4:35 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters and deputies were able to retrieve the girl from the water, but there was no sign of the boy.
The girl was given first aid at the scene and transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital in a critical condition.
A New York State Police underwater recovery team was called to look for the boy. Several hours later, at around 7:25 p.m., the divers recovered the deceased boy from the lake.
Police said that the boy attempted to walk north across the lake towards a lake house when he fell through the ice.
“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,” police said.
“The Albany Police Department extends its heartfelt condolences and support to the families and friends of both children during this difficult time,” the department said in a follow-up statement.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan told TV station WNYT that the tragedy is “a reminder of how fragile life can be and how important it is that we ensure that our children know and that everyone in our community knows that venturing out onto the ice is not a safe thing to do on any of the bodies of water here.”
Sheehan said what happened has impacted the entire community.
“There are many people who know these children, who went to elementary school with them and are currently in middle school with them. It’s a tragic situation,” she said.
Both kids were students of the North Albany Middle School.
“Our hearts go out to the family of this student, who gave their life trying to save their friend,” Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter wrote in a statement. “We will remember that selfless courage even as we mourn another unimaginable loss.”
On Wednesday, Hochreiter announced that the North Albany PTA set up a GoFundMe page to help the two families of the deceased children.