Two British teenagers have drowned on holiday in Austria after becoming tangled in reeds while visiting a popular beauty spot.
Joel Aniyankunju, 19, was trying to save his cousin Jason Varghese, 15, after he got into difficulty swimming in a lake in Vienna.
The youngest boy had been swimming around a boat containing the boys’ family before his leg got trapped on some foliage last Thursday, August 23.
Joel bravely jumped in the water to save his cousin – but both of the young men were trapped below the surface just 10ft away from their small vessel.
Paying tribute, Jason’s father Shibu Varghese said: "Jason really looked up to Joel – he was like a big brother to him.
“If Joel said something to him, Jason would listen. Joel was always full of wise words for his younger cousin, but it went both ways.
“If Jason said something, Joel would always listen to him and there was great respect between them.
“They never argued and they always referred to each other as ‘chachon’, meaning brother.
"They really were brothers-in-arms – they were good boys and everybody loved them.”
The two teenagers, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, were visiting relatives in Vienna when tragedy struck.
Jason’s dad Shibu Varghese says his son got into difficulty when his feet became entangled in reeds underneath the water.
Adding: "Jason panicked and shouted to his older cousin Joel for help and he swam to his aid."
However, the pair struggled to stay afloat and disappeared under the surface in a matter of minutes.
The Austrian emergency services launched a rescue operation with 10 police divers forming a “human underwater chain” to search the depths of the lake.
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It was dusk when Jason’s body was raised from the water nearly three hours later, followed by the discovery of Joel’s body soon after.
Family friend Suresh Daniel said: “The family had been planning the holiday for a while and the boys were very excited about going to Austria and meeting their cousins for a big family reunion.
“We are a close-knit community and we’ve never experienced this type of loss before.”
Joel was in his second year as an apprentice for an IT firm and studying at Bury College.
Jason, a promising footballer who loved Manchester United , was due to begin Year 11 at St James’s C of E High School after the summer holidays.
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