The boys, aged 16, were part of a tourist group and had been reported missing on Friday evening

The bodies of two Japanese teenagers, who had been reported missing from a school tour group, have been found at Lake McKenzie on Queensland’s Fraser Island.

The boys, aged 16, drowned at the popular tourist destination.

They were reported missing about 5pm on Friday.

A search and rescue operation started shortly after, and water police and helicopters were called in to help.

The bodies of the two boys were discovered in the lake at 8:20am on Saturday.

Queensland Police (@QldPolice) Two 16-year-old boys have sadly drowned on Fraser Island overnight. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

More details: https://t.co/nnpMvnmBCl pic.twitter.com/YAWOKmbFai

The police will prepare a report for the coroner and are in contact with the Japanese consulate.

Lake McKenzie, a perched lake on Fraser Island, is located in the Great Sandy National Park, and is very popular among tourists and hikers.

Inspector Tony Clowes said all the details surrounding how the children were supervised would be investigated.

He said the boys were not with their families on the tour.

Clowes said it was understood the teenage boys had not been left behind at the lake and their group reported them missing from an area nearby.

He would not confirm which tour group the boys were on, and he did not know if the boys could swim.

“This is a tragic event, there is no doubt about that,” Clowes said, warning that there was alway a risk when entering waterways.”

Fraser coast mayor George Seymour told the ABC the deaths had shocked the community.

“Lake McKenzie is the postcard-perfect image of Fraser Island – it’s where all the tourists go,” he said.

“It’s really unimaginable how somebody, let alone two people, could drown there.

“It’s a calm lake in the middle of an island … whatever has happened is highly unusual.”