Harrowing details emerge of Aussie teens desperate plea for help after drinking poisoned cocktails and becoming very unwell during dream getaway in Laos
Hostel staff have recalled how two Aussie teens now fighting for life begged for help and claimed that they couldnt breathe after consuming methanol-laced drinks.
Hostel staff have recalled how two Aussie teens now fighting for life begged for help and claimed that they couldnt breathe after consuming methanol-laced drinks.
Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19 from Melbourne, are on life support in separate hospitals after becoming unwell while staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel in Laos last week.
The best friends were on a dream getaway gap year trip across south-east Asia when authorities suspect they drank poisoned cocktails which reportedly contained tainted shots of vodka while holidaying in the party town of Vang Vieng.
They were among a large group of international travellers who fell victim to what is feared to be a suspected mass poisoning which has already claimed the lives of two other tourists.
Staff at the Nana Backpackers Hostel became concerned when Holly and Bianca failed to leave their room for almost a full day.
They spent the day sleeping before they eventually asked the receptionist to take them to hospital.
They were transported one by one by a hostel worker on his motorbike before both were transferred to separate hospitals in neighbouring Thailand after their conditions rapidly deteriorated.
An staff member told the Herald Sun that the girls were very calm when they emerged from rooms seeking medical assistance.
Melbourne teen Bianca Jones (pictured) is on life support after drinking methanol-laced cocktails while holidaying in Laos
Biancas best friend Holly Bowles (pictured) is also fighting for life in hospital
No-one found them, they walked to the reception. They spent all day in their room. We didnt know what happening with them because they go party outside, he said.
They come to tell my staff, please, can you help me, bring me to the hospital. They feeling hard to breathe, the staff in the night shift just quickly bring her to the hospital.
Its also been revealed that Ms Jones and Ms Bowles had been drinking free spirits at the hostel bar next to their ground floor unit the night before they fell ill.
Toan Van Vanng, a bartender who was working when the girls were last seen, told the publication they were not poisoned at his bar.
He poured them a Lao Pdr Tiger Vodka containing 40 per cent alcohol and mixed it with ice and Coke Zero.
Mr Vanng said he bought the alcohol from a certified distributor and insisted it had not been tainted by himself or his staff.
To prove his point Mr Vanng, drank from one of the vodka bottles that were in use on the night to prove it was safe.
Ms Bowles and Ms Jones began drinking at 8pm when happy hour started and eventually left the bar at 10.30pm, according to Mr Vanng.
He said they only had three drinks each while playing cards.
A manager at the hostel said the fact that guests from multiple different hostels were poisoned by the contaminated drinks proves that it did not happen at his bar.
Right now the police [are telling] every hostel and hotel and bar to stop selling drinks in Vang Vieng, he told the publication.
Toan Van Vanng, a bartender who was working when the girls were last seen insists they were not poisoned at his bar
The teens were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Laos last week when they became unwell
The girls had embarked on their travels to celebrate having recently graduated from Mentone Girls Grammar and Beaumaris Secondary College in 2023.
Its understood theyd planned to return home in time for Christmas.
Two of the fourteen people thought to have been poisoned by the laced drinks have already died. It is believed the pair were Swedish nationals.
The teens families have made the mercy dash to Thailand to be by the teens side and are praying the pair make it out alive.
Ms Jones family say they cant believe what has happened to our angel.
Our beautiful Bianca was on a dream getaway with her best friend Holly, they told the Herald Sun.
They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia.
Ms Bowles uncle, Dale, said the stress of the ordeal was having a monumental impact on the families now split between Australia and Thailand.
Theres just a sick feeling in your stomach that just doesnt go away, he said.
Its just a day-by-day process at the moment ... all we can ask her to do is just keep fighting.
Australian authorities are providing consular assistance to the teens families.
The girls were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel (pictured) in Laos where they had been drinking at the hostels bar the night prior to falling ill on November 12
Nana Backpackers Hostel has been removed from booking site Hostel World in the wake of the mass poisoning.
Another tourist who arrived at the hostel after the girls were rushed to hospital said he was surprised to have received a discount when he got there.
After finding out what had happened the backpacker said: Ive never had a discount before, I should have seen that coming.
Methanol is a toxic alcohol typically found in industrial products and is typically fatal if ingested and left untreated.
Drinking between 25 to 90ml is enough to cause death.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, blindness and seizures.
In countries with high taxes on alcohol, the chemical is often mixed with alcoholic drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, according to the Methanol Institute.
The Australian governments Smartraveller website warns tourists to be careful in Southeast Asia after a string of similar poisonings occurred recently.
Alcohol production is less regulated in some destinations than in Australia. This can lead to methanol being used in the production process to lower costs, the Smartraveller warning said.
Methanol is highly toxic. As little as one shot can be fatal. Locals and foreigners, including Australians, have died or become seriously ill from poisoned drinks in destinations such as Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Costa Rica, Türkiye.
