The sixth young tourist dies in suspected mass alcohol poisoning in Laos

A second young Australian tourist died in a Thai hospital on Friday, bringing the death toll from suspected methanol poisoning during a night out in a backpacker hotspot in Laos to six.

Two Danish citizens, an American and a Briton, have also died after what media described as a night out in the adventure town of Vang Vieng.

According to British and Australian media, the group of about a dozen tourists fell ill after going out on November 12.

“All Australians will be deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Holly Bowles,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.

“Yesterday, Holly lost her best friend, Bianca Jones.”

“I know that tonight all Australians will hold both families in our hearts,” the Foreign Minister added.

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

In a brief statement to the media, the Lao government said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of lives of foreign tourists” in Vang Vieng and extended “sincere condolences and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.”

“The government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has conducted investigations to determine the causes of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law,” the report said.

Backpacker trail

Vang Vieng has been a fixture on the Southeast Asian backpacker trail since Laos’ secretive communist rulers opened the country to tourism decades ago.

Once synonymous with backpackers behaving badly at jungle parties, the city has since been rebranded as an ecotourism destination.

“I heard the news, but everything is normal here,” Michael, a Vietnamese manager at the Vangvieng Rock Backpacker Rooftop Hostel, told AFP, asking that only one name be used.

“The high season is about to start, so we are welcoming more tourists every day.”

“There are still a lot of tourists in the city and they go out to party,” a receptionist at the Vang Vieng Chill House Hostel told AFP.

Bowles and Jones, both 19 years old from Melbourne, became unwell last week while staying at Vang Vieng’s Nana Backpackers Hostel, Australian media reported.

The women drank in the hostel’s bar before going out for the evening, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

They were unable to check out on November 13, when hostel staff rushed the couple to hospital.

The Vietnamese manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel has been arrested for questioning, Laos tourist police told AFP.

However, no fees were charged.

The Laos tourist police could not be reached for comment on Friday.

The Briton who died was named as Simone White, 28.

Her parents described her as a “beautiful, kind and loving daughter,” according to the British news agency PA.

“Simone was one of a kind and had the most amazing energy and zest for life,” they said.

White was a lawyer at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, which said she was “a talented colleague with a bright future ahead of her.”

The United States has not released details about its nationals who were killed.

Casper Soetekouw, a spokesman for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said they were “aware of the serious reports from Laos” and were in contact through the Dutch honorary consul.

He added that “a Dutch woman was in hospital earlier this week,” and that she was “fortunately” discharged.

Alcohol contaminated with methanol is suspected to be the cause of the deaths.

Methanol is a toxic alcohol used in industrial and household products such as antifreeze, copy fluid, de-icers, paint thinner, varnish and windshield wiper fluid.

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

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

In neighboring Thailand, at least six people died and more than 20 people were hospitalized in August after drinking illegal alcohol laced with methanol.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)