Four foreign tourists have died after a suspected mass methanol poisoning from drinking tainted alcohol at a backpacker hotspot in Laos, Western government officials and media said Thursday.
A young Australian woman was the latest confirmed death, and her friend was fighting for her life, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Two Danish citizens and an American had also died, officials said, after what media said was a night out in Vang Vieng where they drank possibly tainted alcohol.
The group of about a dozen tourists became ill after going out on November 12, 2024, according to British and Australian media.
“Tragically, Bianca Jones has lost her life. Our first thoughts at this moment are with her family and friends who are grieving a terrible and cruel loss,” Albanese told parliament.
“We also take this moment to say that we are thinking of Bianca’s friend Holly Bowles who is fighting for her life,” he said, without giving further details.
Bowles was on “life support” in a hospital in Bangkok, her father Shaun Bowles told Australia’s Nine News on Wednesday.
At the Bangkok hospital where Bowles was reportedly receiving treatment, staff said they could not confirm her presence.
Denmark’s foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday that two Danish citizens had died in Laos, without providing further information.
The Vietnamese manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng where Australian media said the two Australian women were staying has been detained for questioning, the Laos tourist police told AFP.
No charges have been made, however, as police are still “investigating,” an official said, speaking on condition of anonymity
The US State Department also confirmed the “death of a US citizen in Vang Vieng, Laos,” and said it was “closely monitoring the situation and providing consular assistance.”
It did not give details on the date or cause of death.
