Two 7-year-old children drowned after falling into a frozen pond in Richlands on Sunday.
Onslow County deputies responded to Mayberry Lane in Richlands around 5:30 p.m. Sunday after receiving a 911 call about two 7-year-old children who had fallen into a frozen pond, said Trevor Dunnell, Onslow County Sheriff's Office public information officer.
Deputies responded to the scene along with the Richlands Police Department, Hargett's Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department, Back Swamp Volunteer Fire Department and Onslow County Emergency Services.
A family member was able to remove one of the children from the water prior to the arrival of first responders, and the second child was quickly located and removed from the water by responding emergency personnel, Dunnell said.
Life-saving measures were immediately initiated, and the children were taken to the Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, where they both died from their injuries, Dunnell said.
The incident was ruled an accident.
"This is a heartbreaking day for our community," said Onslow County Sheriff Chris Thomas. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family as they face an unimaginable loss.
"We are also keeping our deputies, first responders and everyone involved in this response in our thoughts, as incidents like this affect all of us deeply."
