Two friends from the UK who died while on holiday in Portugal have been named and pictured for the first time.

Tributes have been paid to Mo, 27, and King, 29, who were discovered at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Duas Palmeiras hotel in Albufeira in the early hours of Tuesday.

Friends described them as ‘gentle, kindhearted souls who brought light into every room they entered.’

Angelo Antonio, Marco Mendonca and Sanoueli Bamba, who have set up a fundraiser to help bring their bodies back to the UK, said: ‘On what was meant to be a joyful holiday in Portugal, our two dear friends Mo and King tragically lost their lives less than 24 hours after arriving.

‘What was supposed to be sunshine and laughter turned into heartbreak no one could have imagined.

‘[They were] the kind of people who would drop everything to help you, no questions asked.

‘They were warm, loyal, funny and full of dreams. The sort of men you never hear a bad word about because there simply were none.

‘They were deeply devoted to their families, their friends and their faith. And now, all of that has been taken so suddenly and so unfairly.’

Mo and King’s families are not only facing ‘every parent’s worst nightmare, but also the overwhelming cost of bringing their sons home.

Repatriating people is an expensive and complicated procedure involving funeral care and transportation costs.

The fundraiser said that the total cost to return them to the UK is at least £10,000.

So far, more than £14,000 have been donated to help their parents.

Mo and King died less than 24 hours after arriving in Portugal for a holiday.

Emergency services were called at around 4am and attempted to revive the pair, but both were declared dead at the scene.

Preliminary investigations by Portuguese military police suggest there is no suspicion of foul play in the deaths.