A dramatic incident has shocked the community of Albany, New York: a 12-year-old boy has died and an 11-year-old girl is still in critical condition after falling into Washington Park Lake. According to authorities, the accident occurred late Saturday afternoon when the two attempted to cross the frozen surface.
Police officers, responding quickly to witness reports, found the young girl, who was treated on the spot and rushed to Albany Medical Center Hospital. Unfortunately, the boy’s body was recovered only later in the evening, thanks to the intervention of the underwater recovery team.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the 12-year-old was attempting to cross the lake towards a house on the opposite side, while the girl, in an attempt to help him, followed the same route and became trapped in the icy water.
Both were students at North Albany Middle School, as confirmed by a post from the school district on social media, in which Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter expressed the grief shared by the community.
Washington Park Lake, with an average depth of about 2 meters and a maximum depth of 3.3 meters, is frequented by both residents and visitors. In winter, the ice, which may seem solid, covers its surface, but in this case, it turned out to be a deadly trap.
