The sixth victim of the horror Laos mass-methanol poisoning has been named as an American tourist who was found dead after he “stopped coming out of his room”.
James Louis Hutson, 57, was named alongside Danish nationals Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, as victims today, with all three having stayed at the Nana hostel in Vang Vieng. The trio died alongside three other tourists, 28-year-old Brit lawyer Simone White and 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles.
The six reportedly drank tainted drinks before falling ill, with the Australian teens confirmed to have been flown to a hospital in Thailand, where they were being treated in critical condition before they died. Mr Hutson was found dead on the same day as the two Danish women after staff noticed he had not left his room.
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Supplied)
Local media organisations reported that hotel workers entered the room to check on their guests, but found him lying dead on his bed and several empty drink glasses nearby his body. The reports added that the 57-year-old was found without bruises or wounds on his body.
Investigators are yet to assign an exact cause of death to the six tourists, with local officials having promised to bring the people responsible for the incident to justice. Bounchan Malavong, the Governor of Vang Vieng, personally visited the site, which has since been closed.
Despite the promises, the Laos government is yet to reveal any information about the deaths, with a spokesperson confirming they were “conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law”. Laos is governed by a one-party Communist administration that has strict control of the local media.
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AP)
Friends and relatives of the girls who died following the poisonings have issued heartbreaking statements following their deaths, with Mark Jones the father of Bianca Jones, telling reporters in Bangkok on Saturday that his daughter was on the trip of a lifetime, and was hoping to meet new friends while travelling the world.
He said: “Her life had just begun. She was a young woman that had a lust for life. We’ll forever miss our beautiful girl and hope her loss of life has not been in vain.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also issued a statement following the Australian teens’ deaths, saying the trip should have been “filled with joy and wonderful memories”.
He said: “This should have been a trip filled with joy and wonderful memories – it is beyond sad that is it not to be. My thoughts and my deepest sympathies are with her family and her friends. I am sure all Australians are thinking of Holly and her best friend Bianca Jones who tragically passed away yesterday.”
And Simone White’s parents remembered their “one of a kind” daughter in their own statement following her death. They said: “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.”
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