Australian teenager Holly Bowles has died after suffering alleged methanol poisoning during a holiday to Laos with her best friend.
The family of the 19-year-old confirmed she had died in hospital in Bangkok on Friday, surrounded by her loved ones.
Her best friend Bianca Jones also died in hospital just one day earlier.
Ms Bowles is the sixth person to die after drinks were allegedly mixed with methanol and served to guests at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in the popular party town of Vang Vieng.
She and Ms Jones had been on a gap year holiday when they both fell ill on November 12.
Staff became concerned after they failed to check out on November 13 and arranged to take the pair to hospital after they ‘calmly’ asked for assistance.
CCTV from inside the hostel shows one of the women being transported to a local clinic on the back of a motorbike being driven by a hotel staff worker.
Earlier on Thursday, the US State Department confirmed the death of a US citizen, a 56-year-old man, in Vang Vieng.
Australian teenager Holly Bowles has died after suffering alleged methanol poisoning during a holiday to Laos with her best friend
Melbourne teen Bianca Jones (pictured) died in hospital on Thursday
British lawyer Simone White, 28, also died, while the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed two young women from Denmark have also passed away.
It comes after the manager of the hostel, Duong Duc Toan, was detained by local police.
An officer at Vang Vieng’s Tourism Police office, who refused to give his name, said on Friday that a ‘number of people’ had been detained in the case but that no charges have yet been filed.
Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which was still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed that the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.
But staff previously vehemently denied shots given at their bar were responsible for the mass poisoning.
More to come
