THE sister of a Scotstoun teenager who drowned at the weekend has hailed him as a hero for saving her.

Owais Malik, 17, died on Sunday evening at the Royal Alexandra Hospital after doctors were unable to save him.

He had been about two miles north of Luss with sister Zobia, father Ismail and mother Shanaz Fatima.

Zobia told The Sun she and Owais struggled for their lives in deep water while their father stood on a ledge in shallow water stretching his hand to save them.

The 19-year-old told the paper: “We were walking out and everything was okay. Then all of a sudden we took a second step and fell down and it was so deep.

“We were basically trying to jump from the bottom and push up to the surface to get a breath and shout, ‘help help help’. This was going on for about five minutes. I was shouting, ‘I’m going to die’.

“Owais was holding me tight and then my dad came into the water. He can’t swim so he was standing near us and leaning towards us, trying to reach us. If he had taken a step forward he would have fallen in with us.

“My dad was holding my fingers and then my brother — who was holding my hand — pushed me towards my dad. That push made me fall forward towards my dad and then in that moment my brother let go of my hand.

“He lost his grip. We were drowning but my brother saved my life.”

The family came to Scotland as asylum seekers from Pakistan in 2015. Their mother is on crutches and was unable to help and initially their father was at their car when the siblings got in trouble.

In a statement, police said they received a call at 7.17pm reporting a male in trouble in the water at Luss.

This was the second drowning tragedy in the loch within a week.

Rebin Rehan, 25, got into difficultly in the water near the Maid of the Loch and Drumkinnon Bay at around 9pm on Wednesday night.

A police search party in collaboration with the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat recovered his body the following morning.

A police spokesman said: “Please do not enter the water regardless of the weather and your ability. The water temperature is cold and can cause cramps and cold water shock, coupled with unknown depths and unseen hazards.”

Gordon Watson, chief executive of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, said: “We are deeply saddened by the news of the tragic deaths on Loch Lomond over the last week. Our thoughts are with the young men’s family and friends.

“Loch Lomond is a beautiful place enjoyed by many visitors but it can be dangerous and across the loch there are many areas where the water depth changes suddenly and unexpectedly. Even in the hot weather like we have been having recently, the loch is still very cold and shock can set in quickly.”