A pair of heroic teens jumped into a river to save a drowning man as his friend was swept to his death in Cookham.

Ralph Sewell and Jack Staunton, both 15, dived into the River Thames to help the man who had got into difficulty while swimming and failed to resurface.

The brave teenagers had been relaxing with a group of friends at Odney Weir on Tuesday when disaster struck.

They told of seeing a group of men jumping into deep water in t-shirts and jeans before seemingly being knocked unconscious.

Jack, from Maidenhead, said: "They were part of this big group, all swimming and messing around like we were.

"One of them jumped over the weir, and got sucked in. We are pretty sure he was knocked unconscious under the water and he didn't come back up again."

Tragedy hit as temperatures reached around 30C on Tuesday during Britain's heatwave.

Emergency services discovered the body of Eyad Al Ryabi at the scene the following day, after it is believed he jumped in to try to save his friend.

The dad-of-five had moved to the UK from Syria towards the end of last year to try to make a better life for his family, his relative said.

Eyad's friend, in his 30s, who has not been named was rushed to hospital in a serious condition but he has also now sadly died.

Jack said: "Ralph and I saw what was happening and we climbed over and started trying to pull him out.

"His friend also climbed over and tried to pull him out, he was unconscious.

"We were telling them to pull his head out of the water, and Ralph was trying to do that and had a hold of him and was swimming alongside him.

"His friend then lost his grip on him and he started getting pushed down the river because of the current.

"A fisherman jumped in and helped us to grab him and pull him out to put him on the side of the river.

"That was when someone else started to perform CPR on him, the ambulance service were telling them what to do on the phone.

"I tried to do CPR but I wasn't strong enough so I asked for help.

"After all of this another one of his friends had tried to save him by grabbing the lifeguard ring and diving in.

"We were all focusing on the first man we didn't realise the second one had been swept away.

"Because my friends and I go there quite a lot we know to avoid the middle of the river because of the hotspots.

"But these guys didn't know where they shouldn't jump and got sucked into the current.

"I've been going there for a long time and nothing like this has ever happened before."

Both boys jumped back into the river to try and save Syrian refugee Eyad who was in the water trying to save his friend.

Ralph told his account of the gripping moments in trying to save the men.

He said: "A group of us were at the weir and suddenly I heard the guys screaming, three of them were in the water and one was unconscious.

"They were trying to get him out, and when I heard the screaming I jumped in and climbed down the weir and tried to help them pull him out.

"His head was really under the water, his friend seemed to lose his grip on him and he went even further under the water.

"As he went down the river someone helped us to get him on the bank and then an older guy performed CPR on him.

"The part that they jumped into was probably the most dangerous part of the weir, we did try to find his friend but we didn't want to risk it when we know what the currents are like.

"It's generally a pretty safe place to go and swim but I don't think we will be going back there again."

Other members of the Syrian community travelled to the riverbank from west London after hearing their friend, 31, from Uxbridge, had gone missing.

Jack's mum Nicola Thomas said: "It's heartbreaking for the boys to see all of this, and for the family of the man that it's happened to.

"I didn't know whether to shout at Jack or hug him at first, because he's put himself in danger jumping in but I am proud of him."

Officials from the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews were at the riverside for almost three-and-a-half hours.

A spokesperson said: "We are urging residents across Berkshire to take care near water.

"As the warm weather continues, it may be tempting to swim in open water, but there are many dangers involved.

"One of the main risks when entering the water is cold water shock, even if the weather is warm.

"You also do not know what is beneath the surface - there could be unseen currents and reeds, which could pull you under."

LPA Commander for Windsor & Maidenhead, Superintendent Colin Hudson, said: "Officers have been working tirelessly with our partners to locate the man who entered the water yesterday, and have now tragically found a body.

"We are grateful for the support we received from both Berkshire and Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Services, South Central Ambulance Service, and Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue.

"I would also like to thank members of the public who provided information as well as assistance to my officers."