Melbourne teenager’s last social media post before methanol poisoning tragedy in Laos
One of the Australian teenagers fighting for life in Thailand after drinking a cocktail laced with methanol posted on social media about her trip of a lifetime just weeks before the tragedy.
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Both young women remain in separate hospitals in Thailand, with Bowles currently on life support.
The two best friends, from Melbourne’s southeast, had been travelling in Southeast Asia on a university break.
About three weeks before they tragically fell sick, Bowles had posted about the trip on TikTok with the caption “forever grateful for this place and the people” followed by the Thailand flag emoji.
The video was a compilation of a series of short video clips showing the teenager exploring the island, swimming, riding on jet skis and going out with friends.
In a statement to 7NEWS, Jones’ family described the pair’s trip as “a dream getaway”.
“They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia,” they said.
“We are here by Bianca’s bedside praying for her.”
Bowles’ family has also flown to Thailand.
The friends also play for the Beaumaris Football Club, which on Wednesday issued a statement describing the women as “valued members” of the club.
It said what happened to the pair while they were travelling overseas was both “tragic and distressing”.
“The Beaumaris Football Club extends its love, best wishes and unconditional support to Holly and Bianca in their hour of need,” it said.
“By their deeds and involvement in the girls’ and women’s football programs, both Holly and Bianca have become cherished and highly respected members of the Beaumaris Sharks family.
“We acknowledge Holly and Bianca’s teammates and friends at the club are struggling to come to terms with what has occurred.”
The club is offering counselling services to any members impacted by the news.
It’s believed the pair were holidaying as part of a group and were staying at a backpacker hostel near the Laos capital of Vientiane when they unknowingly consumed cocktails laced with methanol.
Hostel staff found the pair and other travellers unwell in their rooms and immediately called for help.
It’s also believed two Swedish nationals in the same travel group as the two friends have died from the methanol poisoning.
As many as 10 other people are thought to have fallen ill.
Nana Hostel owner Duong van Huan told the ABC the women had been drinking at a bar and were taken to hospital after becoming unwell on Wednesday morning.
“This has never happened at the hostel. My business takes care of everyone. We never do anything wrong,” the owner said.
“I’m not sure what happened but at the hostel we only sell drinks, whisky, cocktails and police have already checked everything.
“All of the alcohol we have is safe. In eight years, this has never happened.”
Methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal alcohol used in alcoholic drinks.
According to the Methanol Institute, this usually occurs in countries where taxes on ethanol are seen as too high.
The symptoms of methanol poisoning can appear similar to drinking too much but can be “stronger”, and include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulties, blindness, blurred vision and seizures.
Drinking just 25 to 90ml of methanol can be fatal, according to the institute.
A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand.
“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,” the spokesperson said.
“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
