These are the two places where a pair of Irish classmates were found dead just hours apart on Sunday during a post-exam holiday in Greece.
Andrew O’Donnell, 18, was discovered on a rocky drop a few feet from a hospital and a busy main street more than 24 hours after he was first reported missing.
His body was found in a bush located just below a popular five-star hotel and overlooking the port of Ios, one of the busiest spots on the popular Greek holiday island, in an area that Greek police had already searched but couldn’t find it.
Andrew disappeared early Saturday morning in the city of Hora and was found after a desperate search of the island involving his classmates.
One, Max Wall, died shortly after receiving the news and is believed to have died of shock. He was found at the entrance to an alleyway near the city’s port.
Andrew O’Donnell, 18, was found dead in a bush (seen left) located just below a popular five-star hotel and overlooking the port of Ios. Just a few hours later, his friend Max Wall collapsed and was found at the mouth of a narrow alleyway in the port area of Ios (right).
A simple bouquet of flowers lay at the top of the slope where Andrew was found on Sunday.
Recent graduates Andrew O’Donnell (left) and classmate Max Wall (right), both 18 and from the same school, died in separate tragic incidents over the weekend.
Searching for Andrew, officers initially searched the area Sunday morning after friends reported him missing after getting separated from them while they were in the port of Ios, where there are bars and restaurants.
They subsequently returned to the area later that day and discovered Andrew’s body around 1 p.m.
He was rushed to Ios Health Center, the only hospital on the island that is a few meters away, where he was pronounced dead.
An Ios Port Police officer told MailOnline: ‘We started our search 24 hours after Andrew went missing, which is standard procedure. We focused on the clues around the port area but found nothing but then came back a second time.
‘His body was hidden in the bushes and not visible from a path that runs along the top of the slope. There’s a luxury hotel there and houses along it, so it’s a well-used road and the first time around, it was easy to miss.’
Another Harbor Police officer who said he was part of the team that discovered Andrew’s body said: ‘We initially walked along the path at the top of the slope and couldn’t see anything. His body was in the undergrowth.
“The sad thing is that while the police and Andrew’s friends were looking for him, he wasn’t in a remote place and he was close to all of us, but we didn’t realize this.”
A simple bouquet of flowers lay at the top of the slope where Andrew was found.
His friend Max Wall collapsed and died at the mouth of a narrow alleyway in the port area of Ios at 2pm on Sunday, just an hour after news of Andrew’s death broke.
He is believed to have died of shock and the young man reportedly had a history of heart problems and had been looking for his friend all day.
Most of the two boys’ friends are believed to have left Ios and many traveled to Athens on Tuesday with their coffins, where an autopsy will be carried out to establish the exact cause of their death.
But hundreds of young Irishmen have remained on Ios, where, like Andrew and Max, they traveled to the island to mark the end of their high school education.
Many expressed anger at the news that Andrew was discovered in a busy area of Ios, just a 10-minute walk from Hora, the island’s capital, which is packed with bars and nightclubs.
Toby Moriarty, from Dublin, said: “Obviously it surprised all of us, but we’d like to know why it took the police so long to find it.” It’s terrible that they already searched the area where they finally found it.
“I think the Greek police should have started looking for him faster because it was pretty obvious that something was wrong.”
Sheila Walsh, 18, said: “My heart goes out to the family and given where Andrew was found I don’t think the Greek police have done a good job.” She was right under their noses, and they didn’t even realize it.
“It’s a bit of a joke if you ask me and I don’t know why they had to wait 24 hours before they started looking for it.”
Pictured: Flowers are seen at the site where Andrew O’Donnell was found on Sunday.
It is believed that Andrew had been partying with his friends in Hora before heading to the port area, where he got separated from them.
Andrew and Max’s parents arrived in Greece on Tuesday to receive autopsy results and bring home their children’s remains.
The coroners who conducted the tests found no signs of foul play.
Earlier reports suggested police were preparing to investigate whether her drinks had been adulterated, but police spokeswoman Konstantina Dimoglidou told MailOnline yesterday that any lines of inquiry would depend on autopsy results, suggesting that there was no foul play in the children. ‘deceased.
The comrades formed an honor guard as police transported the bodies of the children from Ios to Athens, before they were brought home to Ireland accompanied by their grieving families.
Andrew’s father, Gavin, is said to be distraught, a close family friend who asked to remain anonymous told MailOnline.
Gavin described Andrew as his “darling boy” in a message he sent me.
Andrew was rushed to Ios Health Center (pictured), the island’s only hospital a few meters away, where he was pronounced dead.
Pictured: The site where Max Wall was found around 2pm Sunday, shortly after his friend Andrew was found dead.
‘Gavin is a very generous man as is his entire family. He is very proud of this university and as an alma mater.
“Andrew’s grandfather, Joe, is a doctor and they are both very proud of Andrew, who was in the prime of his life. This is such a devastating tragedy.
“There, by the grace of God, I go. It’s a shock,” said the family friend.
It’s just inexplicable. He and Max were so young. We just don’t know why this happened. We are all mourning for both families.
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.