Teens playing on frozen lake fall through ice, killing one, Georgia authorities say
A teen has died and another is recovering after being pulled from an icy lake, Georgia authorities say.
The two teens were crossing a partially frozen lake near Ellison Lakes Boulevard in Kennesaw when they plunged through the ice Wednesday, Dec. 28, WXIA reported, citing Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services.
A police officer rescued one of the teens but struggled to get to the other, who was farther out on the lake.
“Despite all of the extreme efforts of rescue crews, the second victim did not survive the incident,” Cobb Fire spokesperson Stephen Bennett told McClatchy News in a statement.
Authorities did not release their names but said the victims are both 16-year-old boys.
The surviving teen was reported in stable condition as of Thursday, but it’s unclear if he’s still hospitalized, Bennett said.
A resident who lives nearby said he noticed a group of kids playing near the frozen pond around 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to WAGA. One of the teens was a few feet from the bank and the other was about 10 feet onto the ice.
“It looked pretty sturdy at first, so I didn’t think much of it,” resident Alex Pollard told the station. Minutes later, he said he heard screams and spotted two of the teens “trapped in the ice” and clinging to one another.
A police officer pulled the first teen from the lake and fire rescue crews used a raft to search for the second teen, who was in the frigid water for at least 20 minutes, WSB-TV and WXIA reported. Temperatures in the area dipped to 23 degrees with a high of 57 that day, according to Accuweather.
The second teen was found around 6:50 p.m. and taken to a hospital, where he died, authorities said.
McClatchy News reached out to Cobb County Police on Thursday and were awaiting a response.
Kennesaw is about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
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