Disturbing truth of how methanol-laced drinks turn dream holidays into ‘nightmare’

The family of one of the victims says they are “living every parent’s nightmare” as they keep a constant vigil by their daughter’s side.

Two young women from Melbourne, who were on the backpacking adventure of a lifetime, are now on life support in seperate Thailand hospitals after a suspected methanol poisoning.

Holly Bowles and her best friend Bianca Jones, both 19, were visiting Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town about 130km north of Vientiane in Laos, when the pair allegedly consumed drinks spiked with the chemical before falling ill.

The family of one of the victims says they are “living every parent’s nightmare” as they keep a constant vigil by their daughter’s side.

In a development on Wednesday afternoon, Bianca Jones’ parents told the Herald Sun they had been “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of public support since news broke of the incident.

“Our family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support that have come from across Australia,” they said.

“This is every parent’s nightmare and we want to ensure no other family is forced to endure the anguish we are going through.

“We hope the authorities can get to the bottom of what happened as soon as possible.”

The family said there was no update on Bianca’s condition.

The 19-year-old still on life support in a Thai hospital.

Holly Bowles was travelling with her friend Bianca Jones in Southeast Asia.

Bianca Jones is in hospital in Thailand after a horror methanol poisoning.

Speaking in Melbourne on Wednesday, Ms Bowles’ uncle Dale Bowles said her parents were by her side in hospital.

“We’re a small family, we’re a tight family, we come together in tough situations and there’s none tougher than this,” he told the ABC, adding it was a “day-by-day process at the moment”.

Ms Jones’ family has said she “was on a dream getaway with her best friend”.

“They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia,” they said in a statement.

“We are here by Bianca’s bedside praying for her.”

A group of 10 backpackers have since fallen ill, two of whom were young women from Denmark who have since died, the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed.

According to the Herald Sun, the pair complained they “couldn’t breathe” when they begged for help at a backpackers hostel.

A staff member from Nana’s Backpackers Hostel, where the women were staying, claims the pair came to reception pleading for assistance and to be taken to hospital.

“They spent all day of the 12th (of November) in their room. We didn’t know what happening with them because they go party outside,” the worker, who went by the nickname Pikachu, said.

“They come to tell my staff, please, can you help me, bring me to the hospital.

“They feeling hard to breathe, the staff in the night shift just quickly bring her to the hospital.”

Both Ms Bowles and Ms Jones are currently fighting for life in seperate hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thai, surrounded by family.

The pair had left Melbourne a couple of weeks ago to set off on their dream holiday. They were due to return home for Christmas.

‘Cherished and highly respected’

Both Ms Bowles and Ms Jones came through the ranks of the Beaumaris Football Club in Melbourne’s southeast.

In a statement, president Nick Heath extended the club’s “love, best wishes and unconditional support” to the teens “in their hour of need”.

“Our heartfelt thoughts are also with their parents Samantha and Shaun Bowles, Michelle and Mark Jones as well as their extended families and friends,” he said.

“The situation that occurred whilst both girls were travelling in South-East Asia is tragic and distressing.”

The club put out a statement on Wednesday. Picture: Supplied

Mr Heath wrote that Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had “achieved rarified air” by playing in premiershop teams for the club, including together in 2022.

Ms Bowles had since gone on to play senior football for the club, and was part of the VAFA Women’s B Grade competition this year.

“By their deeds and involvement in the girls and women’s football programs, both Holly and Bianca have become cherished and highly respected members of the Beaumaris Sharks family,” Mr Heath wrote.

“We acknowledge Holly and Bianca’s teammates and friends at the club are struggling to come to terms with what has occurred.

‘They wouldn’t have known’

Methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal alcohol used in alcoholic drinks.

According to the Methanol Institute, this usually occurs in countries where taxes on ethanol are seen as too high — such as Bali and other Southeast Asian countries.

Drinking just 25 to 90ml of methanol can be fatal, the institute said.

It’s the reason Australian man Colin Ahearn, who runs Facebook advisory page Just Don’t Drink Spirits in Bali, has been advocating for travellers to only drink single-serve beverages while abroad — such as bottled beer or pre-mixed sealed cans. Mr Ahearn has been providing travellers who have fallen victim to methanol poisoning advice on treatment and recovery for close to a decade.

Holly Bowles has been identified as one of the two Australian teenagers involved in a methanol poisoning.

Ms Jones has been named as one of Australian women in hospital in Thailand.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Ahearn said the teenagers wouldn’t have had any idea what they had consumed until it was too late and the “horrendous” symptoms took hold.

“Ethanol is normal sugar based alcohol, so the body will process ethanol quite easily because it’s just sugar,” he explained.

“Methanol on the other hand, it’s a harder product to be metabolised. So if someone has normal alcohol in their system, that will process that first, then the methanol will be processed.

“Generally speaking, if someone has a big night, there will be maybe a 5-10 hour delay before the booze is out of their system and the methanol takes over, and that’s when it starts to impact their soft tissues.

The girls were staying at Nanas Backpackers.

“So someone consuming it wouldn’t taste it, they wouldn’t have known at all. If there’s no other alcohol in their system, it will hit really quickly. But normally there’s other alcohol in the system to metabolise first, so there is a delay in symptoms.”

Colin Ahearn campaigns to raise awareness of methanol poisoning. Picture: Supplied

Methanol is sometimes used in cocktails in some countries due to being less expensive to make. Picture:

Mr Ahearn said once methanol starts to take hold of someone who has consumed the chemical, a relatively small amount can be fatal.

“The initial signs will be blurred vision, and around 99 per cent of victims will have erratic breathing,” he said.

“They will have stomach cramps and diarrhoea … and disorientation will hit. They will also want to sleep, and then what happens … it essentially embalms you.”

Mr Ahearn said a single shot of methanol is enough to cause blindness, and while everyone processes the chemical differently — if someone weighed around 60kg and had a double shot in their drink — “that would be lights out and enough to kill you”.

But what’s perhaps the most scary part of methanol poisoning, he said, is how it can sometimes mimic the common symptoms associated with ‘Bali belly’ — and delay a victim from seeking help at the right time.

“You’re going to have cramps, nausea, headaches … a lot of the things that will mimic [Bali belly or Delhi belly] but it is actually methanol poisoning,” he said.

“It’s horrendous, the gut pain … the fear … the anxiety that comes along with it.”

ethanol, which is colourless and the simplest form of alcohol, is closely related to ethanol.

Methanol, which is colourless and the simplest form of alcohol, is closely related to ethanol, which is the type of alcohol normally found in beer, wine and spirits, but is a dangerous poison. It is a chemical building block for hundreds of everyday products, including plastics, paints, car parts and construction materials.

Mr Ahearn said methanol poisoning can be treated successfully if diagnosed within 10-30 hours of ingestion, with suspected cases advised to go to hospital which has dialysis equipment as soon as possible.

He said to avoid a poisoning while travelling abroad in places like Bali, Laos or Thailand, travellers should only buy alcohol from reputable venues and shops, avoid pre-mixed drinks or cocktails that have not been poured in front of you and not to get swept up in cheap prices or free drinks, because low costs could indicate a home brew rather than from a reputable distillery.