2 Young Cousins Who Did Not Know How to Swim Drown in Lake in Massachusetts: 'Really Good Kids'

GoFundMe Rafael Andrade and Tiago Depina

Two young cousins who did not know how to swim died following an incident at a Massachusetts lake in which one tried to save the other after he fell in, according to authorities.

Rafael Andrande, 13, and Tiago Depina, 12, were skipping rocks in shallow water at Waldo Lake at D.W. Field Park in Brockton on Saturday around 7:30 p.m., Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said in a press release.

At one point, one of the boys fell in at a steep drop off in the water, and the other tried unsuccessfully to rescue him.

"Several family members and witnesses in the area at the time made attempts at rescuing the boys but were unsuccessful," said the press release, which noted that no foul play is suspected.

Upon arriving at the scene, Brockton Police officers entered the water to try to rescue the boys, too, but could not find them. Eventually, the Plymouth County Technical Rescue Team found Rafael around 8:51 p.m., and he was pronounced dead after being transported to Good Samaritan Hospital.

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Divers found Tiago around 9:33 p.m., and he was also pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the press release.

"They're really good kids. I love them," family friend Elton Nunes 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."

Family members told ABC affiliate WCVB that both boys came to the United States from Cape Verde last year, and both were students at South Middle School.

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A third boy, 11, who is related to Rafael and Tiago, also went under, but was successfully rescued by a relative, the Boston Globe reported.

Witness Valdo Centeio said he and his friend Yannick Depina (who is not related to Tiago) were among those who jumped in to help.

"I heard screams coming from Waldo Lake, they were just going crazy — 'Oh, I can't find my kids.' And then I asked him how many of them and he was like, 'Oh, there's two kids,'" he recalled to NBC Boston.

The two men reportedly returned to the scene the next day to lay flowers near the spot where the boys disappeared.

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"I would have given my life for those two kids," Depina told the outlet.

Brockton Superintendent Michael Thomas issued a statement following the tragic deaths, and said the district would be providing emotional support to students as long as needed.

"We were deeply saddened to learn that two members of the South Middle School community died on Saturday following a tragic accident," the statement said. "Our hearts are with the students' family and loved ones as they cope with this unthinkable loss."

A GoFundMe page raising money to help with funeral costs and burial services has so far raised nearly $9,000.