A police inspector in Newfoundland described the horror of trying to rescue one of three teens near Pouch Cove, saying one of the teens gave up his life in a futile attempt to rescue his friend.

Police inspector Sean Ryan described how one of the boys had grasped a rope thrown to him, but was swept away to his death.

"This particular boy wrapped the rope around his arm as tightly as he possibly could while the men on the shore tried to pull him in," Ryan told a news conference Friday. "On his way in, as he was being towed, he passed his buddy.

"This little boy hindered his own rescue to try and get a hold of his buddy... and as rotten luck unfolded, a wave came and took them all.

"They are God's newest angels, to say the very least, and they are also heroes."

The search for the bodies of the teens swept under the ice of the Atlantic will resume Saturday, after one of the bodies was recovered from the frigid water by Pouch Cove, Nfld. Friday.

Four young men between the ages of 16 and 18 were playing on the ice floes Thursday when one fell off and was swept under the ice. The other boys tried to rescue him and it is believed three perished in the attempt.

Police have identified three of the boys as 18-year-old Jesse Elliott, 16-year-old Adam Wall and 16-year-old Adrian Sullivan. Elliott's body was recovered Friday.

The boy who managed to get to shore has been identified as Michael Sparkes. He is deeply disturbed by the incident, but in good physical shape.

A person who said she knew the victims sent an e-mail to CBC News Online saying, "I'm here at school (in Pouch Cove) right now and all that can be heard is the sounds of sobbing and 'remember whens' from everybody. So many people are in shock and can't believe that their friends are dead."

There will be a memorial service in this community of 2,000 next week.