The manager of the hostel where two Australian friends became critically ill has admitted the pair were given free shots of Laos vodka but that no other guests have reported issues.
Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were hospitalised last week for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after consuming tainted drinks in Laos.
The two 19-year-old women were on a backpacking trip of a lifetime in the Asian country Laos when they became ill in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.
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Duong Duc Toan, manager of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, said Tuesday that staff were told by other guests that the women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on November 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them.
He said that two days earlier the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality.
He said no other guest reported any issue, adding that the women had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that it was providing consular assistance to the two women and their families in Thailand, but couldn’t provide further information for privacy reasons.
“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,” the office said.
They were then transported to Thailand and are being treated at hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani. Their parents have flown in to be with them.
It wasn’t clear what the two drank, but methanol is sometimes used as the alcohol in mixed drinks at disreputable bars and can cause severe poisoning or death.
Vang Vieng is a tourist town particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports. Businesses appeared to be going on as usual Tuesday evening in the surrounding neighborhood of the hostel bustling with bars and food stalls.
Jasmine Antonius, a Dutch tourist who has been in Vang Vieng for three days, said that she tried to become more careful with drinks after she heard about the case.
“I think sometimes you’re not really watching how your drinks are being made,” she said.
“I feel now it’s a wake up call for many people since this happened. So I hope people would take more precaution because it’s really sad.”
It wasn’t immediately possible to verify reports that other tourists were also poisoned in the same incident.
Toan, the hostel manager, said he hoped the investigation would clear its name, but for now the hostel has stopped giving free shots to its guests.