A second Australian teenager, Holly Bowles, has died after suspected methanol poisoning in Laos, it has been confirmed.
The 19-year-old’s death comes just one day after her friend Bianca Jones also died in a Thai hospital. The pair had been travelling through Laos together and fell ill a week ago.
Holly’s father, Shaun, told Nine News “we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace”.
“We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.”
The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese,said on Friday night that he was saddened at the Melbourne teenager’s “tragic passing”.
“This should have been a trip filled with joy and wonderful memories – it is beyond sad that is it not to be,” Albanese said.
“My thoughts and my deepest sympathies are with her family and her friends. I am sure all Australians are thinking of Holly and her best friend Bianca Jones who tragically passed away yesterday.”
Albanese said the Australian Government would continue to provide support to the young women’s families and local authorities.
Bowles’s death was announced shortly after Lao police detained the manager and owner of a hostel where the two teenagers stayed. At least six people have died following the suspected poisoning.
An officer at Vang Vieng’s tourism police office, who refused to give his name, told the Associated Press on Friday that a “number of people” had been detained in the case but that no charges had been filed. Staff at the Nana backpacker hostel, which was still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed that the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.
Tourist police offices are common in south-east Asia and are set up specifically to help with incidents involving tourists and other foreigners.
The US state department on Friday issued a health alert for citizens travelling in Laos, warning of “suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks,” after similar alerts from other countries whose citizens were involved.
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced on Thursday that a 19-year-old citizen had died in a Thai hospital where she had been evacuated for emergency treatment, and that her friend remained in a hospital “fighting for her life”. A 28-year-old British woman also died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos, the British Foreign Office said.
An American and two Danish tourists also died, although specifics about the causes of death have not been released.
Laos is a one-party communist state with no organised opposition and the government keeps a tight lid on information. In this case, officials have released almost no details.
The Lao foreign ministry has refused to comment, and in Vang Vieng the small hospital where some of the victims are believed to have been treated initially referred all questions to the town’s health office on the hospital grounds. The town health officials refused to comment, saying they lacked proper permission.
Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death. It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled home-brew liquor, and could have found its way into bar drinks inadvertently.
Landlocked Laos is one of south-east Asia’s poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.
Neil Farmiloe, a New Zealander who owns the Kiwi Kitchen restaurant in the town, said a lot of his customers were very worried about the incident.
“I think it’s never happened before, so it is hopefully just a one-off incident,” said Farmiloe, who has lived in Vang Vieng for 20 years. “It’s very sad all around. I’m sure nobody intended to cause injury, but it’s happened.”
The two 19-year-old Australian women fell ill on 13 November after a night out drinking with a group.
They failed to check out from the Nana backpacker hostel as planned and were found sick in their room and then taken to Thailand for emergency treatment.
Thai authorities confirmed that Jones had died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system”.
Duong Duc Toan, the manager of the Nana backpacker hostel, told the AP the day before he was detained that the two women had joined other guests for free shots of Laotian vodka on the night in question, before heading elsewhere and returning in the early hours of the morning.
Britain’s Foreign Office said the 28-year-old Simone White had also died of suspected of methanol poisoning in Laos.
New Zealand’s foreign ministry said one of its citizens had become ill in Laos and was a possible victim of methanol poisoning.
