Two cousins, 12 and 13, drown while skipping rocks at Massachusetts lake

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Two young cousins drowned in a tragic accident while skipping rocks at a Massachusetts lake over the weekend, according to reports.

Tiago Depina, 12, and Rafael Andrande, 13, were pulled from Waldo Lake at D.W. Field Park in Brockton late Saturday after being reported missing around 7:30 p.m., NBC 10 Boston reported. 

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The boys were skipping rocks in shallow water when one of them slipped in near a steep drop-off, according to the report. The other boy went in to try to save his cousin — but neither could swim, the outlet reported, citing investigators. 

People who were with the boys made multiple 911 calls when they hadn’t seen either of them for 5 to 10 minutes, according to the report. 

About an hour into the search, Rafael was pulled from nearly 10 feet underwater. It took about another 40 minutes to rescue Tiago, who was also about 10 feet beneath the surface, Brockton Fire Capt. Steve McLean said, according to the outlet. 

Both boys were taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. 

Emergency crews search for two boys who drowned at Waldo Lake at D.W. Field Park in Brockton on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Marc Vasconcellos-USA TODAY NETWORK)

Two men who heard the family’s screams told the Boston Herald they tried to rescue the boys.

"The whole time I was in the water searching for them, I was asking God, ‘Why?’" said Yannick DePina (no relation to Tiago). "When I got out of the water and couldn’t find them, I was still asking, ‘Why.’" 

DePina’s friend Valdo Centeio said he "can’t stop blaming myself."

Emergency crews search for two boys who drowned at Waldo Lake at D.W. Field Park in Brockton on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Marc Vasconcellos-USA TODAY NETWORK)

"I tried. I wish I could have saved them," an emotional Centeio, who said he searched the freezing lake for nearly an hour, told the outlet. "They were just two little kids. I would put my life down for theirs."

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office is investigating but said no foul play is currently suspected, according to the report. 

"My title is mayor but my job is dad," Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan told reporters. "I’m a dad of three kids and I cannot even fathom what this family is going through today."

"It’s just tragic," he said. "Our hearts here in the city are just pouring." 

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Family friend Elton Nunes described the boys as "really good kids."

"I love them," he told NBC Boston. "It’s like we just don’t know what to do, what to say. No one — you cannot bring them back anymore. We just have to keep praying."

A memorial at Waldo Lake in D.W. Field Park on Monday, May 17, 2021 has grown since Sunday in memory of two Brockton boys who drowned Saturday night. (Alyssa Stone-USA TODAY NETWORK)

To read more from the New York Post, click here.