A suspected mass methanol poisoning incident in Laos has claimed a sixth victim, the second Australian tourist to die.
An American, another Australian, two Danes and a British citizen have also died from the incident last week.
Holly Bowles, 19, had been in critical condition on life support in a hospital in neighboring Thailand since Nov. 13. Her friend and traveling companion Bianca Jones, 19, also died as a result of the suspected methanol poisoning.
“It is with broken hearts, and we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,” Ms. Bowles’ family told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday.
The pair drank free shots of alcohol at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, on Nov. 11, and were hospitalized in Thailand.
Methanol is a type of alcohol more toxic and cheaper than the usual ethanol liquors used in mixed drinks. Thai authorities linked Ms. Jones’ death to brain swelling caused by methanol poisoning.
The manager of the hostel, Duong Duc Toan, told The Associated Press that he served vodka to the young women but that the liquor was not the source of the ethanol. Mr. Toan and others have since been detained, the Vang Vieng Tourism Police told the AP.
The British Foreign Office identified the U.K. national who died as Simone White, 28, while neither American nor Danish authorities have released the names or ages of their citizens who died after traveling in Laos.
The U.S. Embassy in Laos issued a warning to travelers Friday, saying they are “aware of a number of cases of suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks. Please be alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning, especially when consuming spirit-based alcoholic drinks.”
The American who died was a man while the two Danish victims were women, according to the BBC.
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