Two young Australian women fighting for life in Thailand after consuming what is believed to be methanol-laced drinks in Laos have been identified.
Melbourne teens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19, were on a gap year trip across south-east Asia when they were found barely alive in a Laos hostel.
Authorities suspect the girls drank poisoned cocktails which reportedly had shots of ‘vodka’ while holidaying in the party town of Vang Vieng, a popular tourist magnet about 130km north of Laos capital, Vientiane.
They were among a large group of international travellers who fell victim to what is feared to be a mass poisoning which has already killed two other people.
The best friends were rushed to hospital in Vientiane before they were then believed to have been evacuated to hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani in neighbouring Thailand.
The young women are understood to have finished school in 2023 and had been travelling Asia during their summer university break on the trip of a lifetime in a group of about 10 people.
It understood Ms Jones attended Mentone Girls Grammar while Ms Bowles went to nearby Beaumaris Secondary College in Melbourne’s Bayside suburbs.
They are both now on life support in the separate hospitals with their parents making a mercy dash to be by their bedsides.
Holly Bowles has been identified as one of the victims of a suspected mass poisoning in Laos
Her best mate Bianca Jones is also clinging to life in a Thai hospital
Two other tourists are feared dead and 10 more are ill from methanol poisoning in the area.
It’s understood the teens were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town about 130km north of Vientiane.
Although locals have suggested those impacted by the deadly cocktails may have been drinking at a street bar at a different location.
Cafe workers at Frank’s cafe in Cheltenham, where Ms Bowles has been employed for more than two years, described the teenager as a loveable person.
‘She’s just an absolute star. She’s a bundle of joy. To know her is to love her,” the cafe manager, who did not want to be named, told The Age.
The cafe closed its doors on Monday upon learning of the shocking incident in Laos.
‘We’re just praying for the family. She’s just a loyal, caring sweet person,’ the manager said.
‘We value her so much as a friend as well as a colleague.’
The two women were reportedly staying in Nana Backpacker Hostel when workers found them unwell in their rooms after they were late to check out. Pictured is the hostel
In a newsletter published by Beaumaris Secondary in the years Ms Bowles attended there, the popular teen spoke of her love of sport and family.
‘I love playing all types of sport and spending time with family and friends. I have a younger brother that goes to Beaumaris North Primary school and two dogs,’ she wrote then.
A staff member at the Laos hostel confirmed a number of young Australian women, reportedly including the two Melbourne teenagers, stayed there last week.
The staff member believed the group went out for the night to several nearby bars, outside of the hostel, and returned to their beds in the early morning.
‘The girls went out to party … and then on the next day they slept all day,’ he told the Age on the condition of anonymity.
He said the women were late to check out and staff found them in their rooms, apparently unwell.
From there, they were rushed to hospital.
‘I am so sad … They were very friendly. We were talking together a lot,’ the staff member said.
Two Australian girls have been rushed to Thai hospitals from Vientiane, Laos, as other travellers report similar poisonings from within proximity
The hostel’s manager told 9News that police inspected their bar after the incident but she said the alcohol they serve is ‘very normal’.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it is assisting the young women’s families.
‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand,’ a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time.
‘Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.’
Another affected traveller reported six people had admitted to her hospital in Vientiane after also being poisoned by methanol in Vang Vieng.
‘Stay safe guys and avoid free shots from bars as they are likely local spirits. It’s possible that some of the vodka has been contaminated with a higher dosage of methanol than usual,’ she warned on the Travelling in Laos Facebook page.
‘Our group stayed in Vang Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars. Just avoid them as so not worth it.
‘Six of us who drank from the same place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.’
Methanol is commonly used as a petrol additive and an industrial solvent in insecticides, some types of paint strippers and glass cleaner. Drinking just 25-90ml of the substance can be fatal.
Methanol is a poisonous chemical which is often dangerously used as an additive to alcohol (stock image)
Symptoms of methanol poisoning include abdominal pain, vomiting, breathing difficulties, 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.
Cover More Travel Insurance warned travellers methanol poisoning poses a real danger to holidaymakers.
‘If ingested by humans, it is highly toxic and can lead to blindness, coma, and in severe cases, death,’ the agency wrote.
It suggested travellers only by alcohol from reputable venues and shops, and avoid pre-mixed drinks that have not been poured right in front of them, including any ‘bucket cocktails’ or colourful ‘ready-to-drink creations’.
The agency warned that some cheap drink offers are ‘too good to be true’, writing: ‘If your drink or bottle of spirits is much cheaper than what you would pay at home, it is most likely a home brew’.
Travellers should also check bottle seals are intact and labels are free from spelling errors, according to the agency.
‘Learn to recognise the signs and symptoms of methanol poisoning and seek help right away. Listen to your body,’ it wrote.
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