A British tourist has revealed she nearly died from methanol poisoning after drinking alcohol at the same hostel where two Australian teens tragically lost their lives.
Melbourne teens Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, died after a night out in the party town of Vang Viang, a small village north of Laos’ capital Vientiane, this month.
Ms Jones and Ms Bowles, who had been staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel, were rushed to separate Thailand hospitals after asking staff for help on November 13.
Ms Jones died in Udon Thani hospital on Thursday and Ms Bowles died in nearby Bangkok Hospital on Friday.
Four foreign tourists from Denmark, the UK and the US also died, while a further 14 tourists who had been drinking in the area developed methanol poisoning within days of each other.
Lucy Davison, who was holidaying in Laos with her boyfriend, said she was drinking alcohol at the same hostel and within 15 hours, developed life-threatening symptoms.
‘I was one of the British nationals who suffered methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng in Laos,’ Lucy said in a video shared to social media on Sunday.
‘I would just not want anyone to go through what me and my partner have had to go through because it’s literally been the worst two weeks of our lives.’
British tourist Lucy Davison has warned travellers heading to Southeast Asia about the dangers of alcohol after she suffered methanol poisoning and spent five days in hospital
Ms Davison explained it was common practice for hostels in Southeast Asia to offer their patrons a free hour of alcoholic drinks, including beers, spirits, and cocktails.
She added that for its happy hour, the Nana Backpackers Hostel offered guests either a complimentary bottle of Tiger vodka or whiskey.
‘We had a big table of about 10 people and we were all sharing what was given to us.’
Despite only having a small amount of the vodka, Ms Davison developed severe methanol poisoning within 15 hours of consuming the alcohol.
‘It wasn’t until 15 hours that my symptoms started to kick in, which were extreme tiredness; I was practically asleep for the whole day,’ Ms Davison said.
Ms Davison experienced methanol poisoning after she drank locally sourced vodka from Nana Backpackers Hostel (pictured) – the same hostel where two Australian teenagers, who died from methanol poisoning, were staying
‘I was violently throwing up. I was really lucid. I had vision impairment, like I could barely see it was like bright lights, and high fever.’
Ms Davison’s boyfriend rushed her to Kasemrad International Hospital in Vientiane, where she was placed in the intensive care unit for 24 hours.
She spent the next four days recovering in hospital, with Ms Davison claiming the doctors and nurses ‘literally saved my life’.
Ms Davison warned travellers heading to Southeast Asia to be extremely careful when drinking alcohol as it only takes one drink for methanol to be lethal.
‘If you are travelling to Southeast Asia just please stick to bottled beer and cup wine,’ Ms Davison said.
The Laos government has vowed to bring the perpetrators of the suspected mass poisoning in Vang Viang to justice after six people, including Bianca Jones (pictured), died
Ms Jones was travelling with her best friend Holly Bowles (pictured) when the pair developed methanol poisoning after drinking at Nana Backpackers Hostel and Jaidee Bar on November 13
‘If you are wanting alcohol that’s a cocktail or spirit, just please 100 per cent know what it is before you have it.
‘We’re sensible people, it happened to us. You never think it’s going to happen to you. So please be vigilant about what you’re putting into your bodies.
‘I’m so lucky that I’m okay. I’m not fully recovered but I am getting stronger everyday. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people that have been affected.’
Staff at Nana Backpackers denied they added anything to the shots of Tiger Vodka that had been given away for free as part of the hostel’s happy hour deal between 8pm and 10pm.
Tiger branded whiskey and vodka is also given away for free at other bars with reports emerging of methanol poisoning at several premises.
A bottle of the alcohol was seen at the hostel where the two Australian girls had been staying.
Nana Backpackers Hostel owner Duong Duc Toan was reportedly among ‘a number of people’ detained by police for questioning, but no charges have yet been filed.
Staff at the 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.
Mr Toan said 100 free shots were given out to guests, including Ms Jones and Ms Bowles, the previous evening and had received no other complaints.
But he denied it was his vodka made the girls sick, insisting alcohol was bought from legitimate sellers and even drank from a bottle to ‘prove it was safe’.
Nana Backpackers Hostel owner Duong Duc Toan (pictured) has denied any alcohol served at the bar had been contaminated with the methanol
Methanol is a colourless liquid that tastes similar to alcohol and is a byproduct of bootlegged liquor. Consuming even a small amount can lead to blindness, multiple organ failure and death.
Other victims of the suspected mass-poisoning include a 57-year-old US man James Louis Hutson, two young women from Denmark Ms Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Ms Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and 38-year-old British lawyer Simone White.
On Saturday, the government of Laos vowed to ‘bring the perpetrators to justice’, in its first public statement since the international incident.
Officials said they were ‘deeply saddened’ and extended their ‘deepest condolences’ to the families of the victims.
‘The government of the Lao PDR is profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists in Vangvieng District, Vientiane Province and expresses its sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,’ the statement read.
‘The government of the Lao PDR has been conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law.
‘The government of the Lao PDR reaffirms that it always attaches the importance and pays attention to the safety of both domestic and foreign tourists.’
