Sixth foreign tourist dies of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos

Holly Bowles, left, was confirmed to have died on Friday, a day after British lawyer Simone White and Australian Bianca Jones

A second Australian teenager has died of suspected methanol poisoning, bringing to six the number of foreign tourists who have died after apparently drinking tainted alcohol in Laos.

The family of Holly Bowles, 19, said it was with "broken hearts" that they confirmed her death, more than a week after she fell ill in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.

Her friend Bianca Jones, also 19, and British lawyer Simone White, 28, from south-east London, were confirmed to have died on Thursday.

An unnamed US man and two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, are also among the victims of the suspected poisoning, believed to be connected to bootleg alcohol.

In a statement released to media on Friday, Holly's family said they were taking comfort from the fact she had brought so much "joy and happiness to so many people".

They added that she had been living "her best life travelling through South East Asia meeting new friends and enjoying incredible experiences" when she became ill.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “All Australians will be heartbroken by the tragic passing of Holly Bowles. I offer my deepest sympathies to her family and friends."

Holly and Bianca were taken to hospital on Wednesday, 13 November, after they failed to check out of their hostel in the small, riverside town of Vang Vieng, about two hours north of the capital Vientiane.

Vang Vieng is a popular backpacking town in Laos

News reports and testimonies suggest the tourists may have consumed alcohol laced with methanol - a deadly substance often found in bootleg alcohol.

Medical specialists say drinking as little as 25 millilitres of methanol can be fatal, but it is sometimes added to drinks because it is cheaper than alcohol.

Christer Hogstrand, a professor of molecular ecotoxicology, at King’s College London points out, it is also “not uncommon in home-distilled alcohol".

“Methanol is like the alcohol in our drinks – colourless and odourless – but its impact on humans can be deadly," he explained. "It has a different carbon atom structure which completely changes how humans process it in the body, leading to these potentially fatal consequences.”

The UK's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice to reflect the dangers of methanol poisoning in Laos on Wednesday.

It advises tourists to only buy alcoholic beverages from licensed shops and to seek urgent medical advice if they suspect they've been poisoned.

• What is methanol and how does it affect the body?

It is not yet known where any of the people who fell sick or died were poisoned. It can take up to 24 hours for victims to start showing signs of illness.

The Nana Backpacker Hostel - where the Australian teenagers were staying - has said it gave out free shots to around 100 guests the previous evening.

But the hostel's manager told news agency Associated Press that no other guests had become unwell.

The manager of the hostel is among a number of people who have since been detained for questioning by police.

Online booking agency Hostelworld said in a statement that it has removed Nana Backpacker Hostel from its platform, and has contacted all customers in Vang Vieng and surrounding areas.

It added it was advising all travellers in the area to "exercise caution" when consuming alcohol and to "only purchase products from reputable vendors".

Few details have emerged about any of the other victims and where they may have visited.

Simone White, a lawyer who lived in Orpington, was reportedly travelling with a group of friends.

In a statement, her parents said they were "devastated by the loss of our beautiful, kind and loving daughter".

"Simone was one of a kind and had the most wonderful energy and spark for life. She was a soul who gave so much to so many and was loved by her family, friends and colleagues."

They added she had been "taken from us too soon" and would be "sorely missed by her brother, grandmother and entire family".

"Our hearts go out to all other families who have been affected by this terrible tragedy," the statement said.

Her law firm, Squire Patton Boggs, described Ms White as "a talented colleague with a bright future ahead of her".

"Our thoughts go out to all of Simone’s family, friends, and those colleagues and clients who had the privilege to work with and know Simone."

Australia is pushing authorities to be open about their investigation into the incident.

New Zealand and Dutch officials have also both said they were monitoring incidents involving nationals. The New Zealand government has told the BBC that one of its citizens was suspected to have suffered methanol poisoning in Laos.

Vang Vieng is a hub for backpackers travelling across south-east Asia. It's home to the Banana Pancake Trail - a popular backpacking route spanning Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

'We're all scared'

Backpacker Natasha Moore said her parents had asked her to go home after the deaths

Natasha Moore, a 22-year-old solo backpacker from Manchester, told the BBC she cancelled her booking for the Nana Backpacker Hostel after hearing about the deaths.

Ms Moore said that among backpackers she had met in the country, “the general consensus is we’re all just really scared".

Ms Moore said she has received free drinks, including shots, throughout her travels in south-east Asia, but would now only drink those sealed on purchase.

“Finding out that people pass away from just trying to enjoy themselves is just heartbreaking and it could have been any one of us,” she added.