Australians Holly Morton-Bowles († 19) and Bianca Jones († 19) died unexpectedly while on vacation in Laos. According to the police, the young women had to drink alcohol containing methanol, after which their condition quickly deteriorated and eventually cost them their lives. , the parents of the teenage girls urged tourists to be careful about the places they visit.
- Teenage girls died while on holiday in Laos.
- According to the police, they drank alcohol with methanol.
- The parents accused the Lao government of insufficient investigation into the case.
Best friends Holly and Bianca decided to visit Laos in November 2024, a South Asian country located next to the popular Thailand. They stayed at Nana Backpackers hostel in the tourist town of Vang Vieng and initially enjoyed their stay. A few days later, however, tragedy struck. They drank drinks they thought were ordinary alcohol.
They turned out to contain methanol, which is toxic even in very small amounts. , this chemical is usually found in products such as antifreeze, fuels and thinners, although in some parts of the world it is sometimes mixed with alcohol illegally.
The girls were supposed to drink alcohol containing methanol. (illustrative photo)
Source:
iStock
According to experts, it can be difficult to detect that you have drunk a liquid with methanol, since it initially has the same effect as alcohol. But if you experience symptoms such as vomiting, loss of balance and sudden drowsiness shortly after consumption, you should seek medical help immediately. If left untreated, poisoning can cause abdominal pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, blurred vision, blindness, and even coma and death..
Doctors connected Holly and Bianca to machines after consuming methanol, but the teenagers eventually succumbed to the poisoning. The devastated parents have now urged other holidaymakers to cross Laos off their list of countries they plan to visit.
Holly’s mum Samantha Morton and dad Shaun Bowles have blamed the Lao government for its handling of the young women’s deaths. “There is no evidence to suggest that any investigation is underway. Your life has no value there and we have seen it with our own eyes, as have the other families affected by this tragedy“, they noted.
Bianca’s parents, Mark and Michelle Jones, also say that so far no one has been held accountable for what happened to their daughter. “It seems that these deaths of innocent young women will go unsolved“, they stated.
