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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Adeshola Ore

Four months after daughters’ deaths, parents of Laos backpackers face ‘horror scenarios’ amid fight for answers

Laos Holly Bowles Lao Bianca Jones United States Shaun Bowles Mark Jones Simone White Denmark Australia
Grieving parent Mark Jones is pictured in his home with a framed photo of daughter Bianca Jones in the background.
Mark Jones’ daughter, Bianca, was one of six young travellers from around the world who died after a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, Laos in November. Photograph: Charlie Kinross/The Guardian

The poolside bar at the Nana backpackers hostel in central Laos should have been an idyllic spot for a free happy hour on a mid-November evening.

Among those staying at Nana were two pairs of best friends – 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, from Denmark. All four were drawn to south-east Asia’s famed backpacking route that has for decades enticed young travellers seeking carefree, sun-drenched moments.

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