Father of Bianca Jones in emotional plea to Laos government

The heartbroken father of Australian teenager Bianca Jones has called on the Laos government to take action to prevent further tragedies following the suspected mass methanol poisoning that killed his daughter, her best friend and at least four others.

Bianca Jones, 19, died following a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos. Picture: Supplied.

The heartbroken father of an Australian teen killed in a suspected mass methanol poisoning that killed six people has appealed to the Laos government to act to prevent further tragedies.

Mark Jones said he wanted to ensure the death of his daughter Bianca, “a young woman that had a lust for life”, was not in vain.

“Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends, lead and create change for good,” he said.

“Her life had just begun.

“Young men and women should be able to travel, create their own life experiences and be safe. We’ll forever miss our beautiful girl and hope her loss of life has not been in vain.

“I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Laos government to investigate this to the fullest extent to make sure this incident doesn’t happen again.

“We can’t have the passing of our daughter … not lead to change to protect others.”

Holly Bowles died after a suspected mass poisoning during a holiday in South-East Asia. Picture: Facebook

Ms Jones and her best friend, Holly Bowles, both 19, were on their dream getaway through Southeast Asia when they fell critically ill after drinking alcohol laced with methanol in Vang Vieng, Laos. They died in separate Thai hospitals last week, with their families by their sides.

British Lawyer Simone White, 28, an American and two Danish women also died in the suspected poisoning, while as many as 10 others became unwell.

Laos state-run media the Vientiane Times named the American as James Louis Hutson, 57, and the Danish women as Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, but their identities have not been independently verified.

On Saturday, the Laos 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”.

“The government of the Lao PDR is profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists in Vangvieng District, Vientiane Province, and expresses its sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,” it said in a statement. “The government of the Lao PDR reaffirms that it always attaches importance and pays attention to the safety of both domestic and foreign tourists.”

On Thursday, Laos police confirmed to The Australian that they had closed Nana Backpacker Hostel, where Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had been staying at the time they fell ill.

Police confirmed they had detained the hostel’s Vietnamese owner for questioning, while health officials collected samples of liquor stored there.

Owner Duong van Huan and manager Duong Duc Toan had insisted that all alcohol served at the hostel was legitimate.

Ms Bowles and Ms Jones’ deaths prompted an outpouring of grief across Australia, including in their devastated community in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs.

Beaumaris Football Club, where their 2022 premiership flag flew at half mast at the weekend, said the women’s deaths had left the community “numb and without words”.

On Sunday, the club said it continued to send thoughts and prayers to Sam and Shaun Bowles and Michelle and Mark Jones and their families as they prepared to bring their beloved daughters home.