Drowning Tragedy as Two Children Die in Different Lakes

Two children drowned in separate incidents on Sunday as the scorching heat sent droves of families and groups of friends into the water in a bid to cool down.

The body of a nine-year-old boy had to be recovered by divers in Lake Elsinore in Riverside, California, while a 13-year-old boy drowned, and two other teenage boys are in a critical condition, after they were rescued from Lake Stevens in Seattle, Washington.

The younger child got into difficulty just after 10:30 a.m. and began to struggle to stay afloat, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

He had been with several other children who were in the water at Lake Elsinore near the docks on Launch Pointe Beach, when two of them began to struggle. A bystander was alerted to the unfolding horror and managed to bring one of the children to the shore, but the nine-year-old slipped underwater and never resurfaced – despite the desperate efforts of several witnesses who tried to help find him.

His body was eventually found by divers around five hours later. A statement released by the police said: "The Riverside County Sheriff's Department Dive Team responded and started searching the area. The Dive Team was able to locate the victim around 2:37 p.m. The Riverside County Coroner's Office took possession of the victim. The name of the victim is being withheld."

'Green and Murky' Water

It was unclear if the children had been swimming or whether they fell into the water from the docks, local news channel KTLA reported. People who had been at the lake that day told reporter Sara Welch that the water had been "green and murky" making it impossible to see beneath the surface.

Adrian Granadas, who had spent the day boating, said: "You can't even see maybe a foot into the water, so if anybody were to go under, for you to be able to see them if you're above the water is going to be pretty impossible. So I think that was probably the biggest issue. I know, I heard some people had tried to dive in and obviously help the kid out - but, like I say, once he went under it was impossible to see what was really going on."

Signs near the docks warn swimmers that there are no lifeguards on duty.

But many were tempted by the cool water as temperatures reached up to 102 F, with a heat advisory warning issued for the Riverside County Valley among other areas of Southern California that remains in place until 8 p.m. on Monday.

Meanwhile, temperatures rose to the early 90s on Sunday in Seattle, where a teenager lost his life in the waters of Lake Stevens in Snohomish County, and two others were hospitalized.

Komo News reported that the boy who died was 13, while those in a critical condition are reportedly 12 and 15.

Lake Stevens Police Department is investigating. A statement released by the Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue service said officers were called to the scene at about 5:45 p.m. and discovered that "good Samaritans had already pulled two unresponsive teenagers out of the water."

The report added: "[Officers] tended to the victims by performing CPR and preparing them for transport. Rescue divers went into the water and located a third juvenile in 10 feet of water within the swimming area and pulled them to shore and started CPR. All victims were transported Providence Medical Centre where one of the juveniles was pronounced dead and current two [are] in critical condition."

Officials warned that despite temperatures hitting the upper 80s and lower 90s, Seattle's waterways have not yet warmed up after Spring so remain at near-freezing temperatures that can be difficult for swimmers to navigate.

Newsweek has reached out to Lake Stevens Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department for comment.