A cheerful trip around the world turned into a nightmare when young girls started losing their lives from free shots offered by Nana Backpacker Hostel.
Most of the teenagers have the will and desire to explore the world even if it means saving every penny they have. Something similar happened to a few teenagers from Australia who saved up for their trip to South-East Asia. Despite the cheerful notation of the situation, it quickly turned grim with them falling ill and ending up losing their lives. For Australian friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, it was their first big trip venturing out to explore the world. Like so many 19-year-olds, they were drawn to the romance of backpacking across Southeast East Asia – where food is great, people are friendly and the scenery stunning. They had ‘saved up enough money after school and university to have their overseas jaunt, as so many of our kids do,’ said their football team coach Nick Heath. ‘And off they went.’ They ended up on 12 November in the riverside town of Vang Vieng in central Laos. The two checked into the popular Nana Backpacker Hostel – where guests often receive a free shot upon arrival. Days later both were on life support in hospitals in Thailand.
Jones’s death was announced on 21 November, and Bowles’s a day later. The death of a British woman, 28-year-old Simone White, was also announced on Thursday. They are among six foreign tourists who have died from what is believed to be a mass incident of methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng. Two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, died last week, while an American man also died. They have not been identified. It is unclear how many others have fallen ill, but a transnational police investigation is now underway into the deaths. A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.
Holly Bowles, 19, had been in critical condition on life support following the poisoning in Laos more than a week ago. ‘We are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,’ her family said in a statement sent to Australian Network 10 and other Australian media. ‘We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.’ An officer at Vang Vieng’s Tourism Police office, who refused to give his name, told the press on Friday that a ‘number of people’ had been detained in the case but that no charges have yet been filed.
Much of the scrutiny has fallen on the hostel where some of the victims were reportedly staying. The girls had taken free shots there before heading out for the night. The hostel manager has denied culpability, saying the same drinks had been served to at least 100 other guests that night who reported no problems. The manager was taken in by police for questioning on Thursday. 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. The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a health alert for citizens traveling in Laos, warning of ‘suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks,’ following similar alerts from other countries whose citizens were involved.
