Two Australian teenagers are fighting for their lives after they were hospitalised during a dream backpacking trip in Thailand. The pair allegedly drank cocktails laced with methanol
Two teenage girls have been left hospitalised in serious condition after they drank a poisoned cocktail at a holiday hot spot.
The Australian women, believed to be 19, were enjoying their dream trip of travelling through Southeast Asia when tragedy struck at their hostel in Udon Thani, Thailand. It has been reported that the women first fell ill after consuming alcoholic drinks whilst staying close to the popular Laos border.
According to Melbourne radio station 3AW Drive, one of the ladies had been flown to a hospital in Bagkok in serious condition. Her father spoke to host Jacqui Felgate and said she was in “grave” condition. The host commented: “I think it’s one of those stories where if you have teenage kids, you go home and hug them a little tighter.”
The two victims had been travelling as part of a bigger group of around 10 women, who also visited the tourist area. According to reports, the cocktails were laced with Methanol, which is a cheaper alternative to ethanol.
Methanol is purposely added to alcoholic drinks in suspected countries where taxes on ethanol are too high. The Methanol Institute explained that just 25-90 millilitres of methanol can be seen as deadly.
A spokesperson Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told News AU: “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand. Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
An alert was earlier issued to a backpacking Facebook group for the area. One tourist said their friends dropped ill after being given “free shots” in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town in Laos. The tourist said: “Urgent, please avoid all local spirits.
“Our group stayed in Van Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars. Just avoid them as so not worth it. 6 of us who drank from the place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.”
They added: “Personally I was very fatigued and then fainted. I just felt nauseous and then my liver started to shut down. I got to the private hospital in time but underwent many infusions and tablets and days of recovery.”
Symptoms of methanol poisoning
-
Abdominal pain
-
Nausea
-
vomiting
-
Breathing difficulty
-
Blindness
-
Seizures
