An 11-year-old boy is dead after he and a 15-year-old companion fell through thin ice on a suburban Toronto pond.

The dead boy's name is Brunthan Nadarajah. His companion, Kishoban Alakeswaran, is in critical condition at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

Police and emergency crews rushed to the small pond in Scarborough on Sunday afternoon after neighbours heard the cries of two young boys who had fallen through the ice into the frigid water.

The two were on their way to a soccer game. They ignored warnings from friends and stepped onto the ice-covered pond in the Morningside and Old Finch Avenue area around 3:15 p.m.. They were about 10 metres from shore when they fell through.

Kishoban went through first. Brunthan tried to save him.

One man rushed to the scene and with a rope he inched across the ice towards the young boys. Witnesses said he was very close to them, but then the ice gave way, plunging him into the water as well.

"Before the officers got here there was another man who ... was sliding across the ice with a piece of rope," witness Imraan Sherman said. "But when the officers came, the man actually fell through."

Police arrived at about the same time and they rescued the man. Then the officers attempted a rescue of the boys, but were not successful.

"The cop was right there. He was trying to reach him," Kasabasan Knadasabaphty told CTV Toronto's Roger Petersen.

But the ice gave way and the officer barely managed to make it back to shore. He was treated at the scene for mild hypothermia and looked on as the Toronto Police Marine Unit hit the water in an inflatable boat.

Marine Unit officers launched a search for the young boys. The first was located after about 45 minutes and was rushed to Rouge Valley Health Centre without vital signs.

Kishoban was revived and transferred to Sick Kids Hospital.

It took another 45 minutes for rescuers to find Brunthan. He was also rushed to hospital. However, he died.

People gathered at the scene said neighbourhood children often use the frozen pond as a shortcut to the local school.

Residents said the pond is a potentially dangerous place.

"Because a lot of people go walking around here for exercise and a lot of kids do play around here and there's a school not too far away too, so it is a dangerous area without a fence," area resident Deanne Motilal said.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Roger Petersen and files from The Canadian Press