BANGKOK (Reuters) – A second Australian woman hospitalised after drinking contaminated alcohol in a popular tourist town in Laos has died, the government said on Friday, the sixth fatality from suspected methanol poisoning.
Holly Bowles, 19, died in a hospital in neighbouring Thailand, where she had been evacuated for emergency treatment, the Australian foreign ministry said. Her friend died on Thursday in a another Thai hospital.
“It is with broken hearts, and we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,” her father, Shaun Bowles, told Australia’s Nine News.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia would continue efforts with Lao authorities to investigate what she described as a tragedy.
“I know tonight all Australians will be holding both families in our hearts,” Wong said.
Altogether, six tourists – two Danes, two Australians, a Briton and an American – have died after visiting Vang Vieng, an idyllic town in the Southeast Asian nation that is popular with foreign backpackers.
Lao state-run news agency KPL said on Friday that authorities were gathering evidence and witness accounts following the foreigners’ deaths due to suspected “consumption of tainted alcoholic beverages”. An official statement was expected soon.
Counterfeits of well-known alcohol brands and home-made spirits are a problem in Laos. Australia and Britain have warned their citizens to be cautious when consuming drinks there.
The U.S. embassy in Laos issued a warning on Friday for its citizens to be on the alert for risks of methanol poisoning in consuming spirit-based drinks, advising them to buy from licensed vendors and check for signs of tampering or counterfeiting.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol that is used industrially as a solvent, pesticide, and alternative fuel source, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Reporting by Praveen Menon in Sydney and Juarawee Kittisilpa in Bangkok; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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