Three Boys Drown After Falling Through Icy Pond in Texas

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Five children 16 and under in northern Texas were killed this week in the aftermath of a winter storm that caused at least 23 deaths in a dozen states. Three boys died on Monday after falling through an ice-covered pond in Bonham, Texas, as their mother tried frantically to save them. On Sunday in Frisco, about 50 miles to the southwest, two teenagers were fatally injured when their sled, which was being pulled by a Jeep, crashed into a curb and then a tree.

Why it matters

The tragic deaths of these young Texans highlight the grave risks posed by winter weather in a region less accustomed to snow and bitter cold. As the state emerges from a storm that blanketed cities with heavy snow and dangerously cold temperatures, families are mourning young victims while authorities warn residents to be cautious.

The details

On Monday outside Bonham, in northeast Texas near the border with Oklahoma, emergency responders and a neighbor helped pull three children from a private pond. The two older children, ages 8 and 9, were taken to a hospital and died. The third child, who was 6, did not resurface, but his body was later found after a search of the pond. In Frisco, 30 miles north of Dallas, 16-year-olds Elizabeth Angle and Grace Brito were on a sled being pulled by a Jeep Wrangler when the sled struck a curb and then a tree, fatally injuring them.

• On Monday, the three boys fell through the ice-covered pond in Bonham, Texas.
• On Sunday, the two 16-year-old girls were killed in the sledding accident in Frisco, Texas.

What’s next

The Frisco Police Department is continuing to investigate the sledding accident that killed the two 16-year-old girls.