4 Boys Die After Falling Into Frozen River
Six boys plunged through the soft, thin ice of the Merrimack River on Saturday, and four who were trapped below for several minutes died.
Two of the boys were merely “cold and wet” after rescuers retrieved them, Deputy Chief Joseph Marquis said. The other four had been trapped under the ice for at least 10 minutes and were unconscious when they were pulled from the river, said Lawrence Police Chief John J. Romero.
The boys, between 7 and 11 years old, walked out on the 1- to 2-inch-thick ice about 25 feet from shore. A seventh boy who had stayed on shore ran to a nearby house to call for help.
Temperatures were in the mid-40s on Saturday.
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