A second Australian teenager who became seriously ill after drinking contaminated alcohol in Laos has died in a Bangkok hospital, her family said on Friday, bringing the death toll from mass poisoning by foreign tourists to six. He became a person.
Holly Bowles, 19, was left in critical condition on life support after being poisoned in Laos more than a week ago.
“It is with great sadness that we say our beautiful daughter Holly now rests in peace,” her family said in a statement sent to Australian Network 10 and other Australian media. “We take solace and comfort in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.”
A police officer at Vang Vieng Tourist Police Station, who declined to be named, told The Associated Press on Friday that “a number of people” had been detained in the incident but had not yet been charged. Staff at Nana Backpacker Hostel, which remained open but closed to new guests, confirmed that the manager and owner were among those taken for questioning. .
Tourist police are common in Southeast Asia and are set up specifically to assist in incidents involving tourists and other foreigners.
The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a health alert for citizens traveling to Laos, following similar alerts from other countries involving nationals, warning of “suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly due to consumption of alcoholic beverages containing methanol.” did.
Australia's Prime Minister announced on Thursday that 19-year-old national Bianca Jones had died in a Thai hospital where she had been evacuated for emergency treatment, while her friend Bowles remained in hospital “fighting for his life”. did. According to the British Foreign Office, a 28-year-old British woman, Simone White, also died in Laos due to suspected methanol poisoning.
An American tourist and two Danish tourists also died, but details of the cause of death have not been released.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand has announced that a citizen of New Zealand has fallen ill in Laos and may be a victim of methanol poisoning.
Laos is a one-party communist country with no organized opposition party and the government strictly blocks information. Authorities have provided few details about the case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment, and Vang Vieng's small hospital, where some of the victims are said to have been treated, initially referred all questions to the town's health office on the hospital grounds. Town health officials declined to comment, citing lack of proper permits.
Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks in disreputable bars as a cheap alternative to ethanol, but it can cause severe poisoning and death. It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled homemade liquor, which may have been accidentally mixed into bar drinks.
Landlocked Laos is one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is especially popular among backpackers looking for parties and adventure sports.
New Zealander Neil Farmillow, who runs Kiwi Kitchen restaurant in town, said many of his customers were very concerned about the incident.
“I don't think anything like this has ever happened before, so I hope it's a one-off incident,” said Farmillow, who has lived in Vang Vieng for 20 years. “It's very sad all around. I don't think anyone intended for anyone to get hurt, but it happened.”
The two 19-year-old Australian women who both died became ill on November 13 after a night out drinking with a group.
They failed to check out of Nana Backpacker Hostel as scheduled and were found unwell in their room and taken to Thailand for emergency treatment.
Thai authorities confirmed that Jones died from “swelling of the brain due to high concentrations of methanol detected in his body.”
Duong Duc Toan, manager of Nana Backpacker Hostel, told The Associated Press the day before they were arrested that the two women had gone drinking free Lao vodka with other guests and had been arrested by other guests. He said he headed to the location and returned early in the morning.
