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Mass poisoning blamed on tainted alcohol in Laos, with American among four tourists dead
Mass poisoning blamed on tainted alcohol in Laos, with American among four tourists dead
“This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after Bianca Jones, 19, died.
Foreign tourists at the Nana Backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, on Tuesday.Anupam Nath / AP
Nov. 21, 2024, 6:24 AM EST
By Mithil Aggarwal
An American citizen has died at a popular adventure spot in Laos where alcohol tainted with methanol has been blamed for a spate of poisonings in recent days.
The State Department said the U.S. citizen died in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers to the north of the South East Asian country’s capital. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday.
The spokesperson did not reveal the victim’s identity or the cause of death out of respect to the family. … Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Bianca Jones, 19, who died in Thailand after she was evacuated from Vang Vieng for treatment, along with her friend Holly Bowles, also 19.
“Our first thoughts in this moment are with her family and friends who are grieving a terrible and cruel loss,” Albanese said in an address to Australia’s parliament. “This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure.” … He added that Bowles was “fighting for her life.”
{snip}
“This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after Bianca Jones, 19, died.
Foreign tourists at the Nana Backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, on Tuesday.Anupam Nath / AP
Nov. 21, 2024, 6:24 AM EST
By Mithil Aggarwal
An American citizen has died at a popular adventure spot in Laos where alcohol tainted with methanol has been blamed for a spate of poisonings in recent days.
The State Department said the U.S. citizen died in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers to the north of the South East Asian country’s capital. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday.
The spokesperson did not reveal the victim’s identity or the cause of death out of respect to the family. … Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Bianca Jones, 19, who died in Thailand after she was evacuated from Vang Vieng for treatment, along with her friend Holly Bowles, also 19.
“Our first thoughts in this moment are with her family and friends who are grieving a terrible and cruel loss,” Albanese said in an address to Australia’s parliament. “This is every parent’s very worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure.” … He added that Bowles was “fighting for her life.”
{snip}