Three more staff members at the Nana Backpackers Hostel have been arrested following what is believed to be a mass methanol poisoning incident after the death of six people, including Australian teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles. The recent arrests come after the mother of British tourist Simone White spoke publicly about her daughter’s death.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Sue White said that the moment she received the phone call that her daughter was in critical condition in Thailand, she jumped on a plane as quickly as she could.
“I knew when I had that phone call — I don’t know what it was, call it a mother’s intuition — but I knew that she was going to die,” she said.
Simone was a 28-year-old lawyer who was backpacking through Thailand with two friends who survived the poisoning. On the night Simone was poisoned, the friend group drank six Tiger brand vodka shots from the hostel mixed into Sprite they bought from a shop nearby. They felt fine during the night, but the next day, they woke up with a slight headache. As the day progressed, their condition got worse.
They went to a public hospital where they were thought to have food poisoning. After going to an international hospital to receive better care, a friend of Simone’s texted Sue, telling her that it was suspected Acidosis — a build-up of acid which happens after methanol poisoning.
“I was worried. But not unduly so. I thought they’d stay a couple of days in the hospital. They were put on IV drips,” Sue explained.
“Simone was the most badly affected. It had already started affecting her brain. She was getting quite distressed, refusing treatment and pulling out the cannula. She went into respiratory failure.”
By the time Sue arrived at her daughter’s bedside, she was being wheeled into brain surgery. Tragically, despite the best efforts of doctors and nurses, there was no chance of Simone waking up and she died on Thursday, November 21.
Since the deaths, sales of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey have been banned by the Laos government, according to Smarttraveller.
“It was so unfortunate. It just affected Simone so much more than the other two,” Sue explained.
“They all drank the same amount. The doctor was saying it was how people’s metabolisms can break down methanol differently, and unfortunately, it has just gone straight to Simone’s brain. The other two were unwell but not half as bad as Simone.”
Now, Sue is speaking publicly to warn people of the dangers of contaminated alcohol.
“Please be careful when it comes to drinks. Simone was a university-educated, highly intelligent person. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody.”
Six people have died from methanol poisoning after staying at Nana Backpackers hostel: Simone White, Bianca Jones, Holly Bowles, Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and James Louis Hutson, 57.
A third Australian fell ill from the poisoning. However, they are reportedly recovering in hospital.
Reportedly 11 staff members from the popular Vang Vieng backpackers hostel have been taken into custody as the investigation unfolds. No charges have been made as of yet.
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