The parents of two Australian teenagers who were killed by suspected methanol poisoning in Laos are speaking out.
Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were among six tourists who died in November after drinking alcohol that authorities suspect was tainted with methanol in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers and tourists.
The teenagers were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, a popular hostel that has since closed, when they both fell ill on Nov. 13 following a night out.
The friends were taken to the hospital after they failed to check out of their room at the hostel. Both later died at separate hospitals.
Bianca’s father Mark Jones told 60 MinutesAustralia about the moment his daughter’s doctor told him and his wife that she wasn’t going to survive.
“He sat us down again and said, ‘The brain has continued to swell’,” he said. “He’s like, ‘We’ll be calling her medically brain dead.’ So yeah, then we made the decision to turn off all the life support. And then we said our final goodbye. ”
Holly’s parents were told the following day that their daughter’s condition was dire.
“In a way, we were fortunate to be there with Holly when she passed, which we will forever be grateful for,” Holly’s father Shaun Bowles said. “And to not have that would’ve been just heartbreaking. It really would’ve been.”
Mark Jones said life without his daughter has been “pretty tough.”
“It’s still hard to believe she’s not coming home,” he said. “You wake up every morning, expecting her to walk out of her room.”
