TWO teenagers from Bolton have drowned in an Austrian lake while on a family holiday.

Cousins Joel Aniyankunju, 19 and Jason Varghese, 15, drowned at the Old Danube beauty spot in Vienna on Thursday after taking a boat ride on the picturesque lake.

The two teenagers, from Bolton’s close-knit Malayali community, were visiting relatives in Vienna and were due to return home on Sunday.

The young men, sons of two sisters who work as nurses at Bolton Royal Hospital, were enjoying a boy’s day out with relatives at the nature park at 2pm.

Jason, a strong and gifted athlete, lowered himself into the water to cool down from the 30 degree heat and began swimming laps around the boat.

But the 15-year-old got into difficulty and began struggling to stay afloat, 300ft from the shore.

The family believe that Jason's feet may have become entangled in thick reeds underneath the water's surface.

They said Jason panicked and shouted "I think I'm sinking".

Seeing his young cousin in distress, Joel, who was already in the water, swam over to try to help.

But the two boys struggled to stay afloat and, after a couple of minutes, both boys disappeared under the surface ­— just 10 feet from the safety of the boat.

The Austrian emergency services launched a rescue operation with 10 police divers forming a “human underwater chain” to search the depths of the lake.

Joel’s body was raised from the water three and a half hours later, followed by the discovery of Jason's body nearly two hours later.

Speaking to The Bolton News, Jason’s father, Shibu Varghese, said the two boys were like brothers and had great respect for each other.

He 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. 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.”

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.

On the family’s return home to Bolton, Jason’s parents discovered that their son had achieved top marks in GCSE exams that he had taken a year early. He had earned an A* in religious education and a B in IT.

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 and Jason's bodies are to be returned to the UK on Saturday, September 1.

It is hoped a joint service will be held for Joel and Jason at 10am on Saturday, September 8 at Our Lady of Lourdes church, Plodder Lane, Farnworth, but confirmation will follow.

Please contact Suresh Daniel at suresh.daniel74@gmail.com or Sony Mbaby at sonymbaby@gmail.com for more information on the service.

A burial service will follow at Heaton Cemetery and family from India, Abu Dhabi and Europe are expected to attend.