Max Wall (left) and Andrew O’Donnell both died on the Greek island of Ios (Picture: PA/Getty)
Hundreds of ‘traumatised’ Irish students are desperately trying to leave Greece following the deaths of two teenagers from the same school.
Andrew O’Donnell, 18, is believed to have fallen and hit his head while walking home from a night out along cliffs on the island of Ios.
‘He must have taken a wrong path,’ police spokesman Konstantine Dimoglidou said following his sudden death in the early hours of Saturday.
Hours later, Andrew’s classmate Max Wall, 18, was waiting for a ferry at the island’s port when he collapsed. He was rushed to a local health centre, but he could not be saved.
It has now emerged Max had previously undergone heart surgery and reportedly became distressed when he heard the tragic news about Andrew.
Brigadier Thanos Loukas said: ‘Max was found very close to the place where he was staying. We have since heard he had a history of heart problems but the answers lie in the autopsies. The cause of death in both cases will become clearer once they are carried out.’
Another police officer on the island added: ‘Max collapsed when he heard what had happened. Everyone is saying what is true, that the incident is like an ancient Greek tragedy. The whole island is in shock.’
The teenagers were celebrating their graduation from St Michael’s College with hundreds of other students from the close-knit South Dublin area.
Hundreds of Irish students were holidaying in Ios (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Andrew O’Donnell’s body was discovered on Saturday
Max Wall, 18, died after collapsing at the port on the island of Ios
School principal Tim Kelleher said: ‘They all want to leave. They were traumatised and people were saying I want to get home.
‘South Dublin is a small parish, all the schools know each other, they play against each other, they are friends with each other, there are older siblings and friends all over the area who are deeply devastated.
‘It is a tight-knit community. When something like this happens there is a lot of hysteria and a lot of fear and parents are ringing and everyone is traumatised especially the boys who were with Andrew and Max. They are traumatised.
‘They just want to come home and will be all home in the next 48 hours.’
Mr Kelleher described Andrew as a ‘fantastic young man, great sportsman, fantastic footballer’, who was academically bright and looking forward to starting university.
He described Max as ‘very bright’, ‘passionate about rugby’ and had ‘the world at his feet’.
He was ‘full of optimism and hope for the future’, Mr Kelleher added.
Irish Tánaiste Micheál Martin yesterday said: ‘It is devastating and the most traumatic news that any parent could hear and it is every parent’s nightmare and many of our sons and daughters go abroad after Leaving Certificates and after exams.
‘Obviously many of their friends are out there in Ios and it’s a very, very difficult time for them now and we just ask them to look after each other over the next number of days and in the difficult time ahead.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
School principal Tim Kelleher said: ‘They all want to leave. They were traumatised and people were saying I want to get home.’