Traveling overseas is often considered a significant milestone for many teenagers, but two sets of grieving parents are now urging caution about visiting a specific country.
Teenagers frequently travel abroad to celebrate their high school graduation, with many opting for a ‘gap year’ before starting college.
Following a tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of two teenage girls, the parents of Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones are imploring others to reconsider sending their children to the popular destination of Laos.
Laos, a landlocked nation in mainland Southeast Asia, is bordered by travel hotspots like Thailand and Vietnam. It has gained popularity among teenagers traveling alone in recent years. Holly and Bianca were eagerly anticipating their unique journey there in November 2024.
Tragically, their hopes were shattered when they accidentally consumed methanol while partying.
The Australian girls, who were staying in Vang Vieng, were among six tourists who died after being poisoned by the substance while at the Nana Backpackers hostel.
It is believed that the hostel served drinks containing a bootleg form of alcohol contaminated with methanol, and an investigation is ongoing.
Holly’s parents, Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton, were devastated by their daughter’s death, further compounded by the Laos Government’s investigation into the incident.
“We recognize how corrupt and unhelpful the Laos Government (is), there is no evidence whatsoever to suggest there is any type of investigation going on,” they previously told the Herald Sun.
“(Our) hope is that Australians remove this country from their bucket list, your life is worth nothing over there and we have seen this first-hand as well as other families that have been involved in this tragedy.”
Bianca’s parents, Mark and Michelle Jones, shared similar frustrations regarding the lack of accountability, even a year after their daughter’s passing.
“To date, no individual or organization has been held accountable,” they noted, fearing that “these deaths of innocent young women may be forgotten, brushed aside and left unresolved.”
Since their daughters’ tragic deaths last November, Holly and Bianca’s parents have been actively seeking justice, though the process has been challenging. Laos officials have refused to meet with the families or provide any answers.
Back in February 2025, it was reported that despite requests to meet with the Laos Government, all attempts were denied, with officials declining meetings with any families affected by the methanol poisoning incident.
“We’ve heard nothing,” the Jones’ told 60 Minutes host Tara Brown on Sunday evening. “I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything.”
Brown explained: “Last November, in a letter to our Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Laos Government did express its ‘profound sadness’ over the deaths. And it said it ‘was investigating the cause of the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice.’
“But so far despite those words there’s been very little action. When we tried to go to Laos to find out why we were denied access to the country because they claimed the case is still being worked on.
“More significantly, and cruelly, no Lao officials will meet with the devastated families, not even in private.”
Methanol is a colorless and odorless liquid that can be lethal if as little as 0.85 fluid ounces are ingested.
Commonly used in industrial and household products like paint thinners, antifreeze, varnish, and photocopier fluid, methanol has been increasingly found in alcohol across Southeast Asia, leading to poisoning outbreaks in countries such as Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Poisoning often occurs unintentionally when methanol replaces ethanol in alcoholic beverages, primarily due to methanol’s lower cost.
“You have the unscrupulous producer adding methanol to their drinks because it’s cheaper – it’s used to create a stronger-seeming drink or make lower-quality alcohol drinks seem more potent,” one Western diplomat in the region told the BBC.
“I don’t think it’s nefarious bar owners going out of their way to poison tourists – that’s not good for them or their industry either,” the diplomat said. “It’s more about the production side – there being low education, low regulation, people cutting corners.”
Even small quantities of methanol can lead to poisoning, with just half a shot glass being potentially fatal.
Symptoms may not appear immediately but can manifest within 24 hours. These include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and in severe cases, breathing difficulties.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières, a global medical charity, if left untreated, 20 to 40 percent of methanol poisoning cases can be fatal. However, timely intervention within the first 30 hours can effectively manage and treat the condition.
LADbible Group has contacted the Laos-Australian embassies for comment.