A brave schoolgirl used broken branches to try rescue children who fell through a frozen lake in Birmingham.

Three boys died in Sunday’s tragedy – including 10-year-old Jack Johnson who was named yesterday.

Oliwia Szewc, 13, had rushed to the aid of the group and ripped branches off trees to try reach them.

She told ITV News: ’I saw two boys in the water, I couldn’t see the rest of them.

‘I’m guessing most of them already fell into the lake. I was just shocked and panicked because I didn’t know what I could do. Me and my friend have never really been in a situation like that before.’

Oliwia said she and a friend saw boys around ‘five or six’ meters out on the lake.

They called 999 while trying to source anything nearby to reach them.

Oliwia said: ‘I was just trying to find branches of trees and try to pass to them but they were all too short.

‘I was just trying my best to think of different ways to at least help them or do anything for them to float on the surface of the water so they wouldn’t drown.’

The brave girls remained on the scene until emergency services arrived, shrugging off their jackets so they could be wrapped round the boys.

Oliwia also described how she saw a man, believed to be a relative of one of the boys, jump into the icy water.

He was later held back by police, she added.

Oliwia told ITV: ‘Ambulance workers were asking for jackets and coats to try to bring the boys, like, temperature back up.

‘I gave my coat, my friend gave her jacket. We were just kind of praying that the boys would be all right.

‘I was willing to give up anything just at least to save one of them.

‘Knowing that one of them’s still in hospital is kind of a relief because I was at least able to help someone.’

Three boys aged 11, 10 and 8 were confirmed to have died after falling into the freezing water at Babbs Mill Park at around 2.30pm on Sunday.

Another boy aged six remains in a critical condition in hospital.

A neighbour of Jack told the Daily Mail on Monday that they had been ‘playing on top of the frozen lake when the ice cracked.’ 

They said: ‘Jack and the other lads saw that it had been snowing from the flats and wanted to go and play.

‘It’s so tragic. Jack was a lovely lad. I know his dad Kirk. He is devastated. My heart goes out to him.’

Emergency services called to the scene desperately tried to help the boys, with one police officer suffering mild hypothermia after trying to punch through the ice to rescue them.

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