The father of the 18-year-old expressed his grief over the loss of his beloved son, Andrew O’Donnell, who died in Ios. He is one of two Irish students who died on the Greek island during a school trip where they were celebrating their graduation with other classmates.

“I lost my favorite boy” Andrew O’Donnell is quoted as saying, according to a close family friend who spoke to MailOnline on condition of anonymity.

“Gavin is a very charismatic person, as is his whole family. Andrew’s grandfather Joe is a doctor and they were both very proud of Andrew, who was in the prime of his life. This is an unspeakable tragedy. Everyone is in shock,” he added, as relayed by the Daily Mail.

“It’s just inexplicable. Andrew and Max were so young. We just don’t know why this happened. We are all grieving for both families.”

O’Donnell is believed to have fallen and hit his head on steep cliffs while heading to his hotel in the early hours of Saturday morning after a night out in Chora, the capital of Ios.

Police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou told MailOnline: ‘While the neck and head injuries [του O’Donnell] suggest at first glance that he veered off course, that he tripped and fell, we are also investigating criminal negligence.”

The results of the autopsy to be carried out today will be “pivotal” in determining the line of inquiry into the deaths of the two unfortunate 18-year-olds.

“If it is verified from the autopsy findings to be conducted on Tuesday (that they consumed adulterated liquor), the authorities will move to initiate a criminal investigation,” the police said.

The bodies of the two young Irishmen are in Piraeus for an autopsy

At the same time, the bodies of the two young Irishmen were transferred today to Piraeus where an autopsy will be carried out. Their classmates, in a state of shock, return to Ireland via Bristol.

Their classmates formed a guard of honor as police carried the boys’ bodies from Ios to Athens, before they traveled home to Ireland accompanied by their devastated families.