The boys, aged seven and nine, were pulled from the Eiserbachsee near Aachen after their parents reported them missing. Doctors fought through the night to save their lives, but they were pronounced dead in hospital in the early hours of Friday. The boys are believed to be brothers holidaying in the area with their parents. The natural lake in Simmerath, near the Dutch and Belgian borders, is a popular destination for locals and tourists and is a designated swimming area. On the day of the boys’ disappearance, bathers were enjoying the seaside resort as an escape from the 31 C (87 F) heat. Witnesses reported seeing a group of bathers panicking just after 6pm on Thursday when it was discovered the boys were missing. Police were called at 6.59pm and arrived at the scene with several emergency vehicles. The German emergency technical assistance service, THW, arrived shortly afterwards, along with qualified lifeguards from the German lifeguard association, DLRG. The teams searched the lakeshore and water for signs of the missing boys. The boys were discovered by an assistant who discovered their lifeless bodies in the water. They were pulled out and resuscitated by medics before being taken to clinics in nearby Cologne and Aachen. Initially, the condition of the boys was described as critical. It was announced on Friday morning that despite doctors working to revive them, the boys had not survived their ordeal. The boys had reportedly been on holiday with their parents in the Netherlands before traveling to Germany. Officials said the lake they were swimming in had lifeguards on weekends when it was busiest, but not during the week. Simerath Mayor Bird Goffart told the media that the deaths shocked the city and that rescuers were deeply affected by the tragedy. He described the lake as “safe” for swimmers. There was no word on whether the boys were able to swim. A month ago, a 16-year-old Belgian boy reportedly drowned in the same lake after jumping off a landing stage and never resurfacing. His body was recovered after a two-hour search. Prosecutors in Aachen said they have launched an investigation into whether there was negligence in the boys’ drowning. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The British Foreign Office said it was ready to offer assistance to the boys’ family.
