The Lao government has said it is “profoundly saddened” by the deaths of foreign tourists in Vang Vieng and has promised justice, as tributes were paid to victims of a suspected mass methanol poisoning which has claimed six lives.
Two Danish citizens, two Australians, an American, and a Briton died after becoming ill following a night out in the small riverside town, a popular destination for backpackers.
The Lao government said it had been “conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law”. Laos, a one-party communist state where the media is tightly controlled, has given virtually no information about the deaths or investigation.
On Saturday, tributes were paid to the Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19, who were holidaying together in Laos. Bowles died at a Bangkok hospital on Friday, a day after the death of Jones, her best friend.
Beaumaris football club, the Australian rules team for which the two women played, said in a statement: “Two beautiful lives lost, both with so much potential, love and spirit, leaves us both numb and without words.
“In somewhat poignant circumstances, news of Holly’s passing came to light as our senior playing group came together in solidarity last night. As a club, we continue to be heartened by the countless messages of support we have received,” it said.
Teammates tied blue and yellow ribbons, the club’s colours, around the community in memory of the girls, and in support of their parents.
Thai authorities confirmed Jones had died of “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system”. The friends were taken to hospital after they were found unwell in their room at the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
British tourist Simone White, 28, from Orpington, south-east London, was also confirmed to have died on Friday. Her parents said they were “devastated by the loss of our beautiful, kind and loving daughter”. The Foreign Office in the UK said White had died of suspected of methanol poisoning. Details about the deaths of the American and two Danish tourists have not been released.
Vang Vieng, which is in central Laos and surrounded by limestone mountains, was once known as a raucous and hedonistic party spot, famous for “tubing”, where travellers ride tractor-tyre inner tubes down the Nam Song River, and stopping off at bars along the way.
A series of tourist deaths prompted a crackdown on riverside bars and a temporary ban on tubing in 2012, and the town has since rebranded and attracted a wider range of visitors, including tourists from China and South Korea.
It remains popular among western backpackers, however, and has plenty of hostels and bars offering cheap or free alcohol. The town was bustling with visitors on Saturday, according to reports.
Several governments have issued warnings to travellers visiting Laos over the past week. The UK said tourists should only consume alcoholic drinks from licensed liquor stores, and “take care if [drinks are] offered, particularly for free, or when buying spirit-based drinks”.
The manager and owner of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the tourists were staying, have been detained for questioning by police. The gates to the hostel were shut on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
Methanol, which is tasteless and odourless, is sometimes added to liquor by unscrupulous producers as a cheaper alternative to ethanol. It can also be present in homemade spirit that has not been brewed correctly. It can quickly lead to serious illness.
In a statement on its website, Laos’s ministry of foreign affairs expressed “sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased”.
Methanol poisoning affects thousands of people every year, according to data cited by Doctors Without Borders, and is most common in Asia, including south-east Asian countries such as Indonesian, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, where it is caused by illegally or informally produced liquors such as rice wine brews or counterfeit spirits.
Associated Press contributed to this report
