Boy dies after falling through the ice at an upstate New York lake

ALBANY, N.Y. — A 12-year-old boy died after falling through the ice at a lake in upstate New York and an 11-year-old girl who tried to save him was hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said.

The two children were at Washington Park Lake in Albany at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday when the boy tried to walk across the frozen lake and fell through the ice, Albany police said in a news release.

The girl followed to try to help the boy but she fell in also, police said.

Albany police officers and firefighters responded and rescued the girl, who was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital in critical condition. A New York State Police dive team found the boy’s body at about 7:30 p.m. that evening, police said.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said it was surprising that the children made it as far as they did, given how thin the ice was.

“It’s just a reminder of how fragile life can be and how important it is that we ensure that our children know and that everyone in our community knows that venturing out onto the ice is not a safe thing to do on any of the bodies of water here,” Sheehan told TV station WNYT.