The father of a Melbourne teenager who died of suspected methanol poisoning from drinks served in Laos said his daughter was a victim of her “lust for life and adventure” whose life had been “cruelly cut short”.
Bianca Jones and her friend Holly Bowles, both 19, fell ill after a party in the resort town of Vang Vieng in Laos. Jones died in the hospital on Thursday and Bowles on Friday.
Mark Jones, Bianca’s father, said his daughter “was on the trip of a lifetime with one of her best friends.”
“This was going to be a trip full of memories of a lifetime, and it was going to be the first of many,” Mr Jones said.
“Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends, lead and create change for good.”
His comment comes after disturbing details emerged about the brand of vodka the women are believed to have drank and how cheap and popular it is.
Bianca and Holly had stayed at Nana Backpackers Hostel and staff denied adding methanol to the drinks, leading to speculation that the alcohol may have been added accidentally as a result of a production error.
Jones also appealed to the Lao government.
Melbourne teenager Bianca Jones died after being served drinks suspected to contain methanol in Laos.
“I would like to take this opportunity to urge the Lao government to investigate this to the fullest, to ensure that this incident does not happen again,” he said. The age.
‘We cannot allow the death of our daughter… not to lead to change to protect others.
On Saturday, the Lao government publicly acknowledged the tragedy for the first time and said it was “deeply saddened.”
“The government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has been carrying out investigations to find the causes of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law,” a statement said.
“The (government) reaffirms that it always attaches importance and pays attention to the safety of both domestic and foreign tourists.”
Tiger Vodka can be purchased in Vang Vieng at a retail store in a 700ml bottle for just 70 cents.
Bars could buy the spirits, which are “blended, bottled and distilled in Laos,” for even money.
Anonymous sources in Laos had said courier mail It was possible that an error had been made in production.
Jones and her friend Holly Bowles, both 19, fell ill and later died after a night of partying in the resort town of Vang Vieng in Laos.
“It’s all government property, or at least 90 percent government property,” one source said.
“This could have been a mistake made at a government-owned factory, that’s one possible reason why it happened.”
So far, six people have died in the alleged poisoning incident.
Nana Backpackers staff have denied adding anything to the Tiger Vodka drinks that had been given away as part of a happy hour offer between 8pm and 10pm.
Tiger brand whiskey and vodka are also given away at other bars and reports of methanol poisoning have emerged at several venues.
A bottle of alcohol was seen at the hostel where the two Australian girls were staying.
‘Tiger Vodka: fine, smooth and melon blend (sic). Since 1980,” the label said.
‘Distilled, blended and bottled in Lar PDR. Xatmoungkhoun Village, Naxaythong District, Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic.’
The bottle lists an alcohol content of 40 percent, in line with other vodka brands.
An American man was found dead in his hostel room next to two empty bottles of vodka, while two Danish women were found unconscious on the floor of their bathroom, a Lao government document revealed.
The police document named American James Louis Hutson, 57, and Danish women as Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, according to the document seen by The Age.
The deaths have not been independently verified.
Briton Simone White, 28, is also among the dead.
Police on Friday ordered the closure of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the Australians and other travelers were staying when they were rushed to hospital.
Methanol is known to be used in homemade alcohol in Southeast Asia.
Nana Hostel bartender Duong Duc Toan has been detained and questioned by police.
The bartender denied that his vodka was contaminated and said it was made in a factory. He even drank a little when journalists interviewed him.