VIENTIANE: An Australian teenager has died after drinking tainted alcohol in the Laos town of Vang Vieng, Australia’s prime minister said Thursday (Nov 21), bringing the death toll to four in the poisoning incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones had died after being evacuated from Laos for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalised in Thailand.
“This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure,” Albanese told lawmakers, adding “we also take this moment to say that we’re thinking of Bianca’s friend Holly Bowles who is fighting for her life”.
Australian media network ABC News reported that Bowles is on life support at Bangkok Hospital.
The two Australian women fell ill on Nov 13 after a night out drinking with a group. They are believed to have consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is sometimes used as the alcohol in mixed drinks at disreputable bars and can cause severe poisoning or death.
Both women had been staying at Nana Backpacker Hostel during their trip, according to a report by The Age.
Hostel manager Duong Duc Toan said Tuesday that staff were told by other guests that the two women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on Nov 13. The hostel then arranged transport to a hospital for them.
He said that two days earlier the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality. He said no other guest reported any issue, adding that the women had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning.
In an updated travel advisory, the Australian government noted several foreign nationals had fallen victim to methanol poisoning in Laos this month after drinking alcohol and advised its citizens to be alert while drinking there.
