Australian teenager 6th person to die from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos

A second young Australian tourist died in a Thai hospital on Friday (Nov 22), bringing the death toll related to suspected methanol poisoning in a Laos backpacker hotspot to six.
Two Danish citizens, an American and a Briton have also died after what media described as a night out in adventure town Vang Vieng.
The group of about a dozen tourists became ill after going out on Nov 12, according to British and Australian media.
“All Australians will be heartbroken by the tragic passing of Holly Bowles,” Australian 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,” the foreign minister added.
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.”
Australian officials are now pressing Laotian authorities for a full and transparent investigation into what happened.
At the Bangkok hospital where Bowles had been reportedly receiving treatment, staff said they could not confirm her presence.
AFP has contacted Australia’s embassy in Bangkok for comment.
On Thursday, British media reported that a British woman had fallen ill and died after drinking contaminated alcohol in Laos. She was the fifth foreign national suspected to have died in the incident.
The woman, 28-year-old Simone White, a lawyer from southeast London, was among the tourists who died after consuming drinks laced with methanol, a toxic alcohol.
“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.
Denmark’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday that two Danish citizens had died in Laos, without providing further information.
The US State Department also confirmed the death of a US citizen in Vang Vieng 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 Southeast Asia backpacker trail since Laos’ secretive communist rulers opened the country to tourism decades ago.
The town was once synonymous with backpackers behaving badly at jungle parties and has since re-branded as an eco-tourism destination.
“I heard the news but everything is normal here,” Michael, a Vietnamese manager at Vangvieng Rock Backpacker Rooftop Hostel told AFP, asking to use only one name.
“The high season is about to start so we are welcoming more tourists every day.”
“There are still many tourists in town, and they go partying,” a receptionist at Vang Vieng Chill House Hostel told AFP.
Bowles and Jones, both aged 19 and from Melbourne, became unwell while staying at Vang Vieng’s Nana Backpackers Hostel last week, Australian media reported.
The 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 rushed the pair to the hospital.
The Vietnamese manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel has been detained for questioning, the Laos tourist police told AFP.
No charges have been made as police are still “investigating”, an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Alcohol tainted with methanol is suspected to be the cause of death.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol used in industrial and household products like antifreeze, photocopier fluids, de-icers, paint thinner, varnish and windshield wiper fluid.
Methanol can be added to liquor to increase its potency, but can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
On their travel advice websites for Laos, UK and Australian authorities warn their citizens to beware of methanol poisoning while consuming alcohol in Laos.
In neighbouring Thailand, at least six people died and more than 20 were hospitalised after drinking methanol-laced bootleg alcohol in August.