Laos Thailand: Teen girls 'fighting for lives' in hospital after drinking poisoned cocktails with alert issued to young women - symptoms of methanol poisoning
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Australian women, believed to be 19, were enjoying their dream trip of travelling through south-east Asia when tragedy struck at their hostel in Udon Thani, Thailand. It has been reported that the women, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles from Melbourne, first fell ill after consuming alcoholic drinks whilst staying close to the popular Laos border.
According to Melbourne radio station 3AW Drive, one of the women has been flown to a hospital in Bangkok in serious condition. Her father spoke to host Jacqui Felgate and said she was in "grave" condition. The host commented: “I think it’s one of those stories where if you have teenage kids, you go home and hug them a little tighter."
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe two victims had been travelling as part of a bigger group of around 10 women, who also visited the tourist area. According to reports, the cocktails were laced with methanol, which is a cheaper alternative to ethanol.
Methanol is purposely added to alcoholic drinks in suspected countries where taxes on ethanol are too high. The Methanol Institute explained that just 25-90 millilitres of methanol can be seen as deadly.


A spokesperson Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told News AU: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand. Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
Bowles and Jones had played football for Beaumaris football club. Nick Heath, the club’s president, told Guardian Australia the community was “rocked” by the news the pair had been hospitalised.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe incident comes after an alert was earlier issued to a backpacking Facebook group for the area. One tourist said their friends dropped ill after being given "free shots" in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town in Laos.
The tourist said: “Urgent, please avoid all local spirits. Our group stayed in Van Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars. Just avoid them as so not worth it. Six of us who drank from the place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.