BANGKOK, – A second Australian girl hospitalised after ingesting contaminated alcohol in a preferred vacationer city in Laos has died, the federal government mentioned on Friday, the sixth fatality from suspected methanol poisoning.
Holly Bowles, 19, died in a hospital in neighbouring Thailand, the place she had been evacuated for emergency therapy, the Australian international ministry mentioned. Her pal died on Thursday in a one other Thai hospital.
“It’s with damaged hearts, and we’re so unhappy to say that our lovely woman Holly is now at peace,” her father, Shaun Bowles, advised Australia’s 9 Information.
Overseas Minister Penny Wong mentioned Australia would proceed efforts with Lao authorities to research what she described as a tragedy.
“I do know tonight all Australians might be holding each households in our hearts,” Wong mentioned.
Altogether, six vacationers – two Danes, two Australians, a Briton and an American – have died after visiting Vang Vieng, an idyllic city within the Southeast Asian nation that’s common with international backpackers.
Lao state-run information company KPL mentioned on Friday that authorities have been gathering proof and witness accounts following the foreigners’ deaths attributable to suspected “consumption of tainted alcoholic drinks”. An official assertion was anticipated quickly.
Counterfeits of well-known alcohol manufacturers and home-made spirits are an issue in Laos. Australia and Britain have warned their residents to be cautious when consuming drinks there.
The U.S. embassy in Laos issued a warning on Friday for its residents to be on the alert for dangers of methanol poisoning in consuming spirit-based drinks, advising them to purchase from licensed distributors and examine for indicators of tampering or counterfeiting.
Methanol is a poisonous alcohol that’s used industrially as a solvent, pesticide, and different gas supply, in accordance with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
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