The parents of two teens from Australia who died in Laos from what they believe to be methanol poisoning are coming out.
In November, six tourists died in Vang Vieng, a town that is popular with backpackers and tourists, after consuming beer that officials believe was poisoned with methanol. Among them were 19-year-old Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones.
On November 13, after a night out, the adolescents became ill while sleeping at the now-closed popular hostel, the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
When the companions neglected to check out of their hostel accommodation, they were rushed to the hospital. Later, they both passed away in different hospitals.
Mark Jones, Bianca’s father, spoke to 60 Minutes Australia about the time his daughter’s doctor informed him and his wife that she wouldn’t make it.
“The brain has continued to swell,” he added when he set us down once more. “We’re going to declare her medically brain dead,” he says. So, yes, we decided to remove all life support after that. We then bid each other our final farewells.
The next day, Holly’s parents were informed that their daughter was in grave danger.
“We will always be thankful that we were able to be with Holly when she passed away,” said Holly’s father, Shaun Bowles. And it would have been devastating to not have it. Indeed, it would have been.
Life without his daughter has been “pretty tough,” according to Mark Jones.
He remarked, “It’s still hard to believe she’s not coming home.” “You expect her to leave her room every morning when you wake up.”
Mark stated that he and his spouse, as well as the Bowles family, are still awaiting responses from the Laotian government.
“We’ve heard nothing,” Mark’s statement was. “So, I can’t be confident about anything.”
According to Shaun, the Laotian government has not contacted them.
“The Laos government sent their condolences via the federal police, and that, to us, means nothing, nothing at all,” he stated. “That’s just not good enough.”
According to 60 Minutes Australia, a number of individuals who were arrested from the Nana Backpacker Hostel have subsequently been freed.
The BBC reports that the hostel gave away free shots of alcohol to about 100 visitors the night before.
“I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything,” Mark replied. “We’re looking for closure of some kind. We want to know that those responsible for the harm done to our daughter, Holly, and the others will face consequences.
Australian officials “expect a full, thorough, transparent investigation, and we expect that those responsible are brought to justice,” stated Penny Wong, the country’s foreign minister, in an interview with the Today show. The families’ need for answers is perfectly understandable. The families’ desire for the government to be open and honest with them is very understandable. And that’s what I’ll keep telling Laos. We’re looking for answers. We demand transparency and the prosecution of those accountable for the deaths of two stunning young Australian women.
According to Australia’s SkyNews, the infected drink also killed an American guy in his 50s, a British lawyer named Simone White, 28, two Danish tourists, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21.