Parents warn travellers to 'take country off bucket list' after daughters die on vacation
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: 60 Minutes Australia
Parents whose daughters tragically died while backpacking through South East Asia last year have issued a vital warning to fellow travellers.
Six people died in the tourist town of Vang Vieng in November 2024, after unknowingly drinking methanol, after staff at Nana Backpackers served the group 'free shots' ahead of a night out.
Among the victims were 19-year-old Australian teenagers, Holly Morton-Bowles and Bianca Jones, whose parents say had been enjoying the trip of a lifetime after graduating from secondary college.
Unaware that they'd been served the colourless, flammable liquid - which is traditionally made by distilling wood, and can be fatal even if just 0.85 fluid ounces are consumed - the group quickly became unwell.
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Morton-Bowles and Jones were taken to a local hospital the following morning, with the former being transported to Bangkok Hospital, and the latter being moved to Udon Thani Hospital, both in Thailand.
The pair both died in hospital, one day apart.
Now, a year since the deaths of their daughters, the parents of Morton-Bowles and Jones have spoken out against tourist travel through Laos, begging backpackers to scratch the country off of their bucket lists.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, Shaun Bowles and Samantha Morton slammed both local police and the 'corrupt' Laos government for failing to properly investigate the poisonings.
"We recognise how corrupt and unhelpful the Laos Government [is]," the heartbroken pair claimed. "There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest there is any type of investigation going on.
"[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."
Similar, Mark and Michelle Jones added that 'no individual or organisation has been held accountable' for the deaths, believing 'these deaths of innocent young women may be forgotten, brushed aside and left unresolved'.
Back in February, despite a vigil being held in Melbourne in the teenagers' honour, it emerged that the local government in Laos had refused to meet with the victims' families.
During an episode of 60 Minutes Australia, dad Mark told journalist Tara Brown: "We’ve heard nothing. I cannot have my daughter’s passing not mean anything."
Brown went on to tell viewers that the network had attempted on several occasions to reach out to the Laos government, to no avail.
"Last November, in a letter to our Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Lao Government did express its 'profound sadness' over the deaths," she explained.
"And it said it ‘was investigating the cause of the incident to bring the perpetrators to justice."
The broadcaster continued: "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."
In light of the tragedy, the two families set up an online fundraiser in a bid to help pay for out-of-pocket expenses, as well as awareness of methanol poisoning and prevention initiatives.
LADbible Group has contacted the Laos-Australian Embassies for comment.