Each year, countless teenagers take off on overseas adventures to celebrate the end of high school, often using that time as a ‘gap year’ before heading into college or work. It’s a tradition filled with excitement and the thrill of independence.
Sadly, for two teenage girls, that dream trip ended in unimaginable tragedy. After losing their daughters, Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, the parents have been pleading with others to think twice before sending their children to the increasingly popular travel destination of Laos.
But their excitement quickly turned into devastation. During a night out, the girls accidentally consumed methanol-tainted alcohol — a mistake that cost them their lives and shattered their families forever.
Methanol poisoning while partying abroad
While staying in the tourist town of Vang Vieng, the two Australian girls became part of a shocking tragedy. They were among six tourists who were poisoned and later died after unknowingly consuming drinks laced with methanol at the Nana Backpackers hostel.
Authorities suspect that the hostel had served a batch of counterfeit alcohol made with a cheap, bootleg substitute contaminated by methanol. Although an investigation was launched, progress has been slow, and families say answers remain elusive.
For Holly’s parents, Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton, grief over losing their daughter was deepened by what they describe as the Laos Government’s poor handling of the case and its limited effort to uncover what truly happened that night.
“(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.”
Mark and Michelle Jones, Bianca’s parents, said they’ve been left equally heartbroken and angry by how little accountability anyone has taken — even a full year after their daughter’s death, they still feel abandoned by the system that should have helped them.
‘We’ve heard nothing’
Since the heartbreaking loss of their daughters last November, both families have worked tirelessly to demand justice. Yet their fight has been met with silence. Officials in Laos have not only refused to meet with them but have also failed to provide any clear explanation of what happened.
Reports in February 2025 revealed that even though the families had made repeated formal requests for meetings with the Laos Government, all were rejected. Authorities have allegedly declined to meet with any of the families of the six victims from the mass methanol poisoning event.
“We’ve heard nothing,” the Joneses told 60 Minutes host Tara Brown on Sunday evening. “I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything.”
“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.”
What is methanol?
Methanol is a clear, colorless liquid with almost no smell, making it difficult to detect. It is highly toxic, and even around 0.85 fluid ounces can be fatal if consumed.
Outside of alcohol, methanol is commonly found in products such as paint thinners, antifreeze, varnish, and copier fluids. It is widely used for industrial and household purposes rather than for drinking.
In several parts of Southeast Asia, however, methanol has been increasingly and illegally added to alcohol. Outbreaks of methanol poisoning have occurred in poorer regions including Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, where cheap production and low oversight make such incidents more common.
“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 added. “It’s more about the production side – there being being low education, low regulation, people cutting corners.”
What are the signs of methanol poisoning?
It takes only a very small amount of methanol to cause serious harm. Ingesting as little as half a shot glass can be enough to kill. Symptoms might not appear right away, which makes early detection difficult.
Within the first 24 hours, warning signs such as nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain often begin to show. In more severe cases, the poisoning can quickly lead to trouble breathing and other life-threatening complications.
