2 Brothers Drown in Fishing Pond at Willowbrook Park

Two young brothers drowned Sunday afternoon at a Willowbrook park lake after they ventured into a clay-bottom fishing pond not intended for swimming.

Bystanders at Earvin “Magic” Johnson Park dived into the water when they saw the 10- and 12-year-old boys having trouble keeping their heads up, authorities said.

“They went down and didn’t come up,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher Clyde Taylor. When would-be rescuers got to where the boys were signaling for help, they could no longer see them, said Sheriff’s Deputy Carrie Stuart.

Sheriff’s and county dive teams finally recovered the bodies of the two boys from the 30-foot-deep lake just before 4:30 p.m.

“What happens often in these lakes is they line the bottom with clay, to help retain the water and keep it from leaching into the soil,” County Fire Capt. Dennis Walsh said. “The clay creates a very hard suction if you get your foot stuck into it. . . . It’s possible they got their foot caught in the bottom.”

The boys’ shoes and shirts were found on the shore, he said.

The names of the boys, who had gone to the park with their mother, were not immediately released.