Two Melbourne teenagers fighting for their lives after horror drink spiking

Two Melbourne teenagers are fighting for their lives in Thai hospitals after drinking cocktails suspected to have been laced with methanol in Laos.

Bianca Jones is fighting for her life in a Thai hospital. Picture: Supplied.

The family of one of the two Melbourne teenage girls fighting for their lives after a drink-­spiking nightmare in Laos says the best friends were “filled with joy” and on their “dream getaway”.

Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were travelling through Southeast Asia on the trip of a lifetime when they both fell critically ill after reportedly consuming alcohol laced with methanol in a suspected mass poisoning in Laos.

The family of Ms Jones told The Herald Sun they were by her side in a Thai hospital “praying for her … Our beautiful Bianca was on a dream getaway with her best friend Holly. They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia.”

Late last week, the two drank cocktails allegedly spiked with methanol before staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, where they were staying, found them unwell in their room, The Herald Sun reported.

Holly Bowles, 19, is also fighting for her life in a Thai hospital. Picture: Facebook

The teenagers are now believed to be fighting for their lives in separate hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani.

It’s understood Ms Bowles’s family also flew to Thailand to be by her side.

Two Swedish nationals died and another 10 people were unwell after the suspected mass poisoning, the paper reported.

An employee at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, who did not want to be named, said staff were shocked by the poisonings and were working with police.

“You know not only our hostel (but) other customers’ hostel has same problem as well,” they told The Australian. “They did go to the bar in the town and drink.

“Police are investigating and we still working with the police … we want to know (what happened) as well.”

Ms Jones graduated from Mentone Girls Grammar and Ms Bowles graduated from Beaumaris Secondary College in 2023.

Both schools are in Melbourne’s southeast, where Ms Bowles also worked at a cafe.

Cafe manager of Franks Melbourne in Cheltenham described the teen as “an absolute star”.

“She’s a bundle of joy – to know her is to love her,” the manager told The Age.

It is understood the pair played for Beaumaris Football Club, with president Nicholas Heath saying Ms Bowles’s father worked at the club this year as an assistant coach. “Holly is incredibly respected amongst her teammates. She was an incredibly tough competitor on the field,” he said.

Mr Heath said it was a “difficult and unfolding situation” and the club would be wrapping its arms around teammates.

“As a football club, we feel a ­little bit inadequate; a lot of their teammates are quite rightly distraught,” he said.

Ms Bowles and Ms Jones left Melbourne a couple of weeks ago and were scheduled to return home in time for Christmas, The Herald Sun reported.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand. “Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,” a DFAT spokesperson said on Monday.

According to the Australian government’s Smartraveller website, alcohol production is less regulated in some overseas destinations, which can lead to methanol being used in the production process to lower costs.

“Methanol is highly toxic,” it states.

“As little as one shot can be fatal.”