Second Australian dies in suspected methanol poisoning in Laos, taking toll to 6

SYDNEY – A second young Australian tourist has died after apparently ingesting tainted alcohol while on holiday in Laos, Australia’s foreign minister said on Nov 22.

“All Australians will be heartbroken by the tragic passing of Holly Bowles,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement. “Just yesterday, Holly lost her best friend, Bianca Jones.”

“I know tonight all Australians will be holding both families in our hearts,” she added.

A total of six foreign tourists have now died of suspected methanol poisoning in a backpacker hotspot in northern Laos.

They were from Australia, Britain, Denmark and the United States.

Many of the victims were in their teens or early 20s. They became sick after a night out in Vang Vieng on Nov 12.

Australian officials are now pressing the Laotian authorities for a full and transparent investigation into what happened.

The Vietnamese manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng – where Ms Bowles and another 19-year-old from Melbourne, Ms Bianca Jones, became unwell  – has been detained for questioning.

Ms Jones died earlier.

The two women drank at the hostel’s bar before they went out for the evening, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. They failed to check out on Nov 13, when hostel staff found them and rushed the pair to the hospital.

Ms Jones’ bereaved family said in a statement to Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper that they “are comforted by the knowledge that her incredible spirit touched so many lives during her time with us”.

“The kindness shown to our family during this unimaginable time has been truly humbling.”

Backpacker hotspot

The fifth one to have died was 28-year-old Simone White, a lawyer from south-east London.

“We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Laos, and we are in contact with the local authorities,” Britain’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The US State Department also confirmed the “death of a US citizen in Vang Vieng, Laos”, and said it was “closely monitoring the situation and providing consular assistance.”

It did not give details on the date or cause of death.

New Zealand’s embassy in Bangkok said it had been contacted by one of its citizens “who was unwell and may be a victim of methanol poisoning in Laos”.

Vang Vieng has been a fixture on the South-east Asia backpacker trail since Laos’ secretive communist rulers opened the country to tourism decades ago.

The town was once notorious for backpackers behaving badly at jungle parties and has since re-branded as an eco-tourism destination.

On their travel advice websites for Laos, the British and Australian authorities warn their citizens to beware of methanol poisoning while consuming alcohol in Laos.

Methanol can be added to liquor to increase its potency, but can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

In neighbouring Thailand, at least six people died and more than 20 were hospitalised after drinking methanol-laced bootleg alcohol in August. AFP