Latest news with #NanaBackpackers
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
British survivor of Laos methanol poisoning speaks out after watching friend die
British national Bethany Clarke still remembers that day in Vang Vieng, Laos – tubing down the river with friends, followed by a sunset happy hour at the Nana Backpackers Hostel. It had all the hallmarks of a classic backpacker afternoon. The vodka and whisky shots were free. The cost would come later. It was November 12, 2024. The next morning, Clarke and her two companions – childhood friend Simone White and a male friend – set out early for a kayaking trip they had planned the day before. But instead of excitement, Clarke felt unusually drained. 'I just felt sick and we were lying flat on our backs in the kayaks looking at the sky. My brain wasn't functioning. I didn't feel like it was a hangover, but I couldn't work out why. It didn't make sense,' Clarke told This Week in Asia. It was the beginning of a nightmare that would end in a hospital bed in Vientiane, with Clarke watching her best friend die from methanol poisoning – a preventable tragedy that, experts say, continues to result from periodic outbreaks of contaminated alcohol across Southeast Asia and claims hundreds of lives worldwide each year. Shots being served at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng on November 12, last year. Photo: Facebook/Bethany Clarke White, a 28-year-old lawyer from the UK , had also felt unwell that morning. Still groggy and confused, the group endured a torturous bus ride to the Laotian capital, first to visit a medical clinic before being referred to a larger hospital, as White's condition quickly deteriorated.
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- News.com.au
Poisoning victim's dad vows to stop reopening of Laos hostel
The father of Holly Bowles, a young woman who died by suspected poisoning in a Laotian backpacker hostel in November 2024, has vowed to ensure the venue is never allowed to reopen. Shaun Bowles told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning it was 'unfathomable' to hear news of the hostel's plan to reopen under a new name. 'The potential of this happening to someone else is very real because obviously they haven't changed their ways,' Mr Bowles said. 'We're gonna put our heads together with some people and we're gonna do everything we can to make sure that place doesn't reopen because it's just not right,' he said. 'To have no justice and to find out that they're going to reopen the backpackers … it's just the worst news.' Nana Backpacker hostel became the centre of international attention in November 2024 after six backpackers, including two 19-year-old Australian women, died after a suspected methanol poisoning. Mr Bowles' daughter Holly and her friend Bianca Jones had been drinking at the venue, which plans to reopen later this year under the name 'Vang Vieng Central Backpackers Hostel'. One English backpacker who recovered from the suspected poisoning told the BBC it was 'unbelievable' to hear of the hostel's reopening. Bethany Clarke and her friend Simone White fell ill one day after drinking free vodka shots at Nana Backpackers, and while Bethany was able to recover, Simone would succumb to her illness several days later. 'I'm shocked. If it's the same management or ownership involved, I wouldn't trust them,' Ms Clarke said. 'It's just unbelievable because we know that was where we were poisoned.' Mr Bowles believes the Laotian government is not taking the deaths seriously. 'They tell us that it's sitting with the prosecutors but … we can't even get a meeting with the Laos ambassador to Australia in Canberra to ask some questions and to find out some answers,' he told Fordham. 'We remember (Holly) so fondly … someone needs to be held accountable,' he said. The hostel now appears on TripAdvisor under the newly proposed name, however bookings cannot be made through the site.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Yahoo
Anger as Laos hostel to reopen after deaths
The father of Holly Bowles, a young woman who died by suspected poisoning in a Laotian backpacker hostel in November 2024, has vowed to ensure the venue is never allowed to reopen. Shaun Bowles told 2GB's Ben Fordham on Tuesday morning it was 'unfathomable' to hear news of the hostel's plan to reopen under a new name. 'The potential of this happening to someone else is very real because obviously they haven't changed their ways,' Mr Bowles said. 'We're gonna put our heads together with some people and we're gonna do everything we can to make sure that place doesn't reopen because it's just not right,' he said. 'To have no justice and to find out that they're going to reopen the backpackers … it's just the worst news.' Nana Backpacker hostel became the centre of international attention in November 2024 after six backpackers, including two 19-year-old Australian women, died after a suspected methanol poisoning. Mr Bowles' daughter Holly and her friend Bianca Jones had been drinking at the venue, which plans to reopen later this year under the name 'Vang Vieng Central Backpackers Hostel'. One English backpacker who recovered from the suspected poisoning told the BBC it was 'unbelievable' to hear of the hostel's reopening. Bethany Clarke and her friend Simone White fell ill one day after drinking free vodka shots at Nana Backpackers, and while Bethany was able to recover, Simone would succumb to her illness several days later. 'I'm shocked. If it's the same management or ownership involved, I wouldn't trust them,' Ms Clarke said. 'It's just unbelievable because we know that was where we were poisoned.' Mr Bowles believes the Laotian government is not taking the deaths seriously. 'They tell us that it's sitting with the prosecutors but … we can't even get a meeting with the Laos ambassador to Australia in Canberra to ask some questions and to find out some answers,' he told Fordham. 'We remember (Holly) so fondly … someone needs to be held accountable,' he said. The hostel now appears on TripAdvisor under the newly proposed name, however bookings cannot be made through the site.
Scottish Sun
30-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Blow to families after staff who served methanol laced drinks that killed Brit lawyer & 5 other backpackers in Laos FLEE
The shocking twist comes after six months without any charges being made following the horrific poisoning POISON FURY Blow to families after staff who served methanol laced drinks that killed Brit lawyer & 5 other backpackers in Laos FLEE Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STAFF members who served a Brit backpacker and five other tourists deadly drinks laced with poison in Laos have sparked outrage by fleeing the country. The cruel twist came after Brit lawyer Simone White, 28, and five others died after consuming methanol-spiked vodka shots at the party hotspot last year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Staff members who served Brit Simone White and five other poison-laced alcohol have fled the country Credit: PA 6 The Nana Backpacker Hostel, in Vang Vieng, Laos, where six backpackers died after drinking tainted alcohol laced with methanol Credit: Enterprise 6 Duong Duc Toan, the manager of Nana Backpackers hostel where the victims were staying According to the Herald Sun, at least two employees who were "detained" following the horrific ordeal have now fled Laos to neighbouring Vietnam. Tragic Simone was among five other backpackers who also lost their lives after drinking the same fatal beverages. Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19 and from Australia, as well as two young women from Denmark, Danes Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and American man James Louis Hutson, 57, were also killed. All of them were staying at the hostel along with 100 more guests. After hearing that two of the suspects had fled Laos, Bianca's dad told the Herald Sun: "We want the Australian Government to apply as much pressure as they can to bring justice to all those involved in the methanol poisoning of our girls, the Danish girl and the British girl in Laos." The group died after they consumed vodka and whiskey laced with deadly methanol at the Nana Backpackers hostel in the town of Vang Vieng last November. Simone was among the victims after she was rushed to hospital in a near paralytic state before being placed on life support for three days. Her mum Sue took a hellish 16-hour journey from Kent to Laos after hearing of her daughter's grave condition. She said she feared Simone would die after being called by the hospital who told her she needed emergency brain surgery. After arriving at Laos hospital Sue was given the devastating ultimatum over whether to leave her daughter on life support or not. Brit lawyer Simone White, 28, dies in 'methanol-laced alcohol poisoning' that left 4 others dead in backpacking hotspot Doctors refused to switch off the machine due to their religion - but told Sue she could do it herself. The distraught mum said she had to take a tube out of her dying daughter's mouth before making the incredibly painful and "traumatic" decision to switch off the machine. Simone's official cause of death was confirmed as a bleed on the brain, an inquest heard. No charges have been made six months after the fatal ordeal, despite Laotian authorities reportedly preparing charges for up to 13 people. The 13 suspects have been accused of violating food and health security, unlawful business operations and the elimination of evidence, according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. It comes just weeks after the families of Bianca and Holly, who died from suspected methanol poisoning, slammed cops over "appalling" charges. 6 Laos methanol poison victim, Simone White, with her mum Sue 6 Sue revealed her daughter's final message in an interview alongside Simone's friend Bethany Clarke Credit: 60 Minutes Australia 6 The two teens tragically died just days after the shocking incident. Holly's mother told 60 Minutes: "[The charges are] pretty appalling, I'd say pretty insulting.' Bianca's furious mum added: 'I think we're pretty furious about it … Food and beverage. "You know, that's like? What is that? We don't even know." The parents also said they had written to Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone 'a million times'. The desperate parents claimed to have even contacted his wife, but still say they have not received a response. Why is methanol so deadly? By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent METHANOL is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly. The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness. Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: 'The body converts methanol to formic acid. 'Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy. 'If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die. 'Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness. 'The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death. 'While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.' An unexpected but key way of treating methanol poisoning is to get the patient drunk with normal alcohol - known as ethanol - to distract the liver and stop it processing the methanol.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Major update in case of lethal methanol poisoning that left two young Australian women dead
Two staff members at the backpackers hostel in Laos where six tourists died, including two Melbourne teenagers, have started working in hospitality in Vietnam. Best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were visiting the tourist town of Vang Vieng in November when they suffered suspected methanol poisoning. The Australians were among dozens of tourists who were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel when they became sick after drinking at the venue's bar. It was revealed on Friday by The Daily Telegraph that a bartender and the hostel manager who worked at Nana Backpackers Hostel during the alleged poisoning have found jobs in Vietnam. The manager, who calls himself Pikachu, has been employed at a new hostel. 'I don't know, I go home to Vietnam. I have not gone back to Laos, I don't want to talk,' he said. Asked about staff at the hostel who were detained by police, he said: 'I have not gone back to Laos, I don't want to talk.' 'Maybe one day I go back to Laos but not for a long time. The hostel closed. I have no idea,' he said. Bianca and Holly were among six tourists who died due to the suspected poisoning at the hostel which has remained closed since the investigation was launched last year A profile photo on WhatsApp of the hostel's former bartender, Duang Doc Toan, showed he was working at the Azalea Hotel. Toan, who served Holly and Bianca Laotian vodka, claimed in November last year that it wasn't his Tiger Vodka that made the girls sick. He said he bought the alcohol from a certified distributor and insisted it had not been tainted by himself or his staff. To prove his point, the bartender drank from one of the vodka bottles that were in use on the night to prove it was safe. Ms Jones' father Mark said more needed to be done to address the deaths. 'We want the Australian Government to apply as much pressure as they can to bring justice to all those involved in the methanol poisoning of our girls, the Danish girl and the British girl in Laos,' he said. Eight men aged between 23 and 47 were taken into custody following arrests by police on November 25 as part of an investigation into the suspected poisonings. Among those arrested by Vang Vieng police were general staff and managers. There was no suggestion at the time that those detained were responsible for the tourists' deaths and no charges have been laid. A further five people, who were linked to the Tiger distillery, including the manufacturer of the drinks served, were also taken in for questioning. In February, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told federal parliament that authorities in Laos declined the offer of assistance from Australian Federal Police in its investigation of the incident. He vowed that Australian authorities wouldn't drop the matter. 'I would want to assure the families of Bianca and Holly that we remain in contact with the Laos authorities and that the offer of assistance is being consistently offered,' he said. The teens' families said in a joint statement they were 'extremely disappointed' by the lack of updates. 'As the Laos government rejects any support from the AFP our confidence in accountability and justice for everyone affected remains unanswered,' it said. Nana Backpackers Hostel remains closed as the investigation continues.
