‘We miss our girls’: Families of suspected methanol poisoning victims return home
By Alex Crowe
The grieving families of two backpackers who died after a suspected mass methanol poisoning have returned to Australia after living every parents’ nightmare over the past fortnight, as it emerges a third Australian has also fallen ill.
The families of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles travelled from Bangkok to Melbourne on Tuesday night, bringing home the bodies of the two 19-year-old girls.
Bianca Jones (left) and Holly Bowles died after a suspected mass drink poisoning.
Bianca’s father Mark Jones, flanked by Holly’s father Shaun Bowles, urged authorities to do everything they could to raise awareness of the dangers of methanol poisoning to ensure no families experienced the same heartache they had.
“We miss our daughters desperately,” Jones said.
“We cannot have our girls passing and this continue to happen.”
Jones and Bowles were on a holiday together in Laos when the pair fell ill after a night out in the tourist town of Vang Vieng. Jones’ death in a Thai hospital was confirmed last week, a day before Bowles’.
Shaun Bowles, father to Holly. Credit: Simon Schluter
They are among six travellers who have died in the suspected drink poisoning incident.
It has also emerged that another Australian, a dual national, also fell victim to methanol poisoning.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that the dual national was in stable condition on Tuesday evening.
Danish tourists Anne-Sofie Coyman, 20, and Freja Sorensen, 21, and American man 57-year-old James Hutson all stayed at Nana Backpacker Hostel, alongside Jones and Bowles.
Mark Jones said he and his family desperately miss Bianca.Credit: Simon Schluter
The other death from the suspected poisoning was 28-year-old British lawyer Simone White.
Eight people linked to the hostel were detained by police in Vang Vieng on Tuesday, local media reported.
Speaking at the Melbourne Airport on Tuesday evening, Jones said he was happy to hear there had been some movement in Laos since his departure from Bangkok.
“I would continue to urge the government to continue to pursue whomever,” he said.
Jones thanked the Australian Federal Police and the Australian government for their support and asked for privacy for both families over the coming days.
“Give us some space. We want to grieve,” he said.
Laophattana News reported that Laos police have detained the management and staff of Nana hostel. The arrested are reportedly all male and aged between 23 and 47.
Police ordered the closure of Nana hostel late last week and questioned the venue’s manager on Friday in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.
Foreign tourists walk past the closed Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng.Credit: AP
The Bowles and Jones families declined to comment on the progress of the investigation on Tuesday evening.
“We’ll leave that to the politicians,” Jones said.
DFAT said Australian officials in Laos and Thailand were working closely with local authorities.
“Investigations are underway and we are offering any assistance we can provide,” a spokesperson said.
DFAT said it was continuing to provide consular assistance to the families, including through the repatriation of the two teenagers.
“Our thoughts are with the families at this deeply distressing time,” a spokesperson said.
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