Featured Image Credit: Facebook/ 7News
Topics: World News, Travel
Poppy Bilderbeck
A doctor has opened up about trying to treat 19-year-old Holly Bowles when she was first admitted to hospital after drinking suspected contaminated alcohol.
On Friday (November 22), 19-year-old Australian Holly Bowles passed away in Bangkok, Thailand after having been on holiday in Laos.
She was one of the six tourists who've passed away after drinking spirits allegedly contaminated with methanol.
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Holly and five others - named by Laos state media as Simone White, 28, from London, UK, Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21 and Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, both from Denmark, alongside Bianca Jones from Melbourne, Australia - had been staying at Nana Backpacker Hostel in the town of Vang Vieng.
An American citizen named James Luis Hutson, 57, is also reported as having passed away - all six reportedly falling unwell after allegedly consuming drinks containing methanol.
After drinking free shots of spirits, it's reported Holly and Bianca collapsed two days later, Holly passing away just one day after her friend, nine days after being rushed to hospital.
And the doctor who saw Holly when she was rushed to hospital has since spoken out about what he saw.
Reported as being the first medical professional to tend to Holly, Dr Yaher told The Times when Holly was rushed into his medical room she was 'confused' and 'sleepy'.
"We asked her what she had eaten or drunk, but she didn’t know what had happened," he said.
Dr Yaher's team subsequently 'treated her symptomatically,' putting Holly on an 'IV drip' and administering her 'vitamins'.
He continued: "But after 30 minutes she had a seizure and went into a coma. I was so surprised. We gave her CPR, because she had difficulty breathing, and we intubated her and referred her to [the hospital in the Laos capital] Vientiane."
Holly was then transported to Kasemrad International Hospital and Setthathirath Hospital in Vientiane before going to a hospital in Bangkok.
The manager of Nana Backpacker Hostel said the venue gave out free shots to around 100 guests but no other guests reported becoming unwell, and so it's not been officially determined where the contaminated drinks were served.
On Saturday, the government of Laos said it's 'conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law'.
And a GoFundMe has since been started by the families of Holly and Bianca to raise awareness.
The GoFundMe states: "Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were two vibrant, adventurous 19-year-old best friends with their whole lives ahead of them.
"Excited to embark on the trip of a lifetime, they travelled to Thailand and Laos to experience new cultures and create lasting memories together. Tragically, their journey, along with visitors from different countries, was cut short when they fell victim to methanol poisoning — a hidden danger that claimed their lives just one day apart.
"This campaign, organised by the families of Bianca and Holly, aims to raise awareness about the dangers of methanol poisoning - a silent but deadly risk that often claims lives without warning.
"We want to honour the memory of Bianca, Holly, and others impacted by methanol poisoning by turning this tragedy into a mission for change."