SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - Two children have died after falling through ice on a pond near Plummer, Idaho, on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation, the tribe said Monday.
The children were identified by tribal police as Jose Reyes, 9, and Elena Maravilla, 5, who are brother and sister.
“Our hearts go out to the family of these young ones,” tribal Police Chief Cody SiJohn said. “When you deal with any emergency that involves children, you can’t help but be affected by it.”
Tribal police and emergency responders received a call about 4:30 p.m. Sunday that two children had fallen through the ice on the pond on Old Agency Loop Road in Plummer, the tribe said.
“They were found by their grandmother, who called 911 and then pulled them out of the pond,” the tribe said in a news release. “Early reports indicate the children may have been looking for their dog when they fell through the ice.”
The children were taken by ambulance to Kootenai Medical Center in nearby Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where they were pronounced dead.
Tribal police estimated the pond was about 6 feet deep.
The Kootenai County Coroner’s Office will conduct autopsies to determine the cause of death, the tribe said.
Plummer is a small town about 45 miles southeast of Spokane, Wash, near the Washington-Idaho border.
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