The bartender who served drinks to two Australian girls now fighting for their lives in separate hospitals claims he was not the one who poisoned the best friends.
Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, had been on the trip of a lifetime in Laos, Southeast Asia, when they accepted free shots of vodka at their hostel before a night out in the popular resort town of Vang Vieng last week.
The girls, both from Melbourne, became increasingly ill and did not leave their shared room at the Nana Backpackers Hostel for more than 24 hours.
Staff became concerned after they were unable to leave on November 13 and agreed to take the couple to hospital after they “calmly” asked for help.
Heartbreaking security cameras from inside the shelter show the girls being transported to the hospital, one by one, on the back of motorcycles.
Hostel manager Duong Duc Toan, who served the girls the Laotian vodka, claimed that it was not his Tiger Vodka that made the girls sick.
Toan said he bought the alcohol from a certified distributor and insisted that neither he nor his staff had contaminated it.
He said the drinks, a gesture of hospitality, were served to about 100 guests and the lodge had not received any other complaints.
Hostel manager and bartender Duong Duc Toan (pictured), who served the girls the Laotian vodka, claimed that the Tiger Vodka was not what made them sick.
CCTV footage from inside the villa showed the girls being transported to hospital one by one on the back of a motorbike after they were unable to leave their shared room for 24 hours.
To prove his point, the bartender drank from one of the vodka bottles that were in use that night to prove that it was safe.
Toan said Holly and Bianca were in the bar playing cards from 8pm to 10.30pm and had three drinks each during that time.
He served them a Tiger vodka from the Lao People’s Democratic Republic containing 40 percent alcohol and mixed it with ice and Coca-Cola Zero.
“Right now the police (are telling) all hostels, hotels and bars to stop selling drinks in Vang Vieng,” he told the Associated Press.
Both girls are still fighting for their lives in hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani after being transported to Thailand with suspected methanol poisoning.
Local media report that two other women in their 20s have died and 10 others have fallen ill in the alleged mass poisoning.
Their parents have flown to be with them while they recover.
The Jones family released a statement Tuesday, saying their daughter had been on a “dream getaway with her best friend Holly.”
Bianca Jones (left) and Holly Bowles (right), both 19, had been on the trip of a lifetime in Laos, Southeast Asia, when they accepted free shots of vodka at their hostel before a night out in the Popular tourist town of Vang Vieng last week.
The girls, both from Melbourne, became increasingly ill and did not leave their shared room at Nana Backpackers Hostel (pictured) for more than 24 hours.
“They were full of joy and had incredible adventures ahead of them, traveling across Asia,” the statement said. ‘We are here at Bianca’s bed praying for her. “Please respect our privacy at this difficult time.”
Jasmine Antonius, a Dutch tourist who has been in Vang Vieng for three days, said she tried to be more careful with drinks after hearing about the case.
“I think sometimes you’re not really watching how your drinks are made,” he said. ‘Now I feel like it’s a wake-up call for a lot of people since this happened. “So I hope people take more precautions because it’s really sad.”
Local police have launched an investigation into the poisoning, which is still ongoing.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand, but was unable to provide further information for privacy reasons.
“Our thoughts are with them at this distressing time,” the office said.