Australian teenager Bianca Jones became the fourth person to die after drinking alcohol mixed with highly poisonous methanol at a tourist town in Laos, Australia’s prime minister said on Thursday.
The 19-year-old was being treated in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the northeastern Thai town of Udon Thani after falling ill following a drinking session on Nov. 12 in Vang Vieng, a favorite backpacker haunt in Laos, 200 kilometers (125 miles) to the north.
Thai authorities said Jones died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system,” the Associated Press news agency reported.
“This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after informing parliament of Jones’ death.
He said his thoughts were also with Jones’ friend, 19-year-old Holly Bowles, who is critically ill at Bangkok Hospital in the Thai capital. Hospital staff told Radio Free Asia on Thursday they couldn’t discuss individual cases.
Jones’ parents released a statement confirming her death and asking for privacy.
“She was surrounded by love, and we are comforted by the knowledge that her incredible spirit touched so many lives during her time with us,” they said.
An American man, who remained in Van Vieng after falling ill last week, also died, according to the U.S. State Department.
A spokesperson declined to give details, saying the department was “closely monitoring” the situation but it was up to local authorities to determine the cause of death, Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Two Danish women, both around 20 years old, were the first fatalities of what should have been a fun night out in the tourist town.
About a dozen people are ill in hospitals in Laos and Thailand, health sources have said.
Lao authorities have not confirmed the cause of death and did not answer RFA’s questions about progress in their investigation on Thursday but there is little doubt the poisoning was caused by methanol, a clear liquid that is often illegally added to alcohol as a cheaper alternative to ethanol. Even a small amount of methanol can be fatal.
Australia and Britain both updated their travel advisories to warn of the danger of methanol poisoning in Laos
“Methanol has been used in the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of well-known alcohol brands or illegal local spirits, like vodka,” the British government said.
“You should take care if offered, particularly for free, or when buying spirit-based drinks. If labels, smell or taste seem wrong then do not drink.”
Suspected methanol poisoning has led to nearly 400 deaths in the past 12 months, according to Doctors Without Borders. Asia has the highest level of poisoning, with Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines particularly hard hit, the group said.
Edited by Mike Firn.