A doctor who treated a teenage backpacker killed by poisoned alcohol in Laos has told how she went from confused to suffering a coma within just half an hour.
Holly Bowles, 19, of Melbourne, Australia, died from suspected methanol poisoning on Friday during her travels, just one day after the death of her best friend Bianca Jones.
Dr Yaher, from the district hospital in the town of Vang Vieng, was the first medical professional to treat Ms Bowles – one of six tourists who lost their life after consuming spirits contaminated with the chemical methanol.
Ms Bowles passed away in hospital in Thailand on Friday, nine days after being taken to Dr Yaher’s emergency room, just yards from the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
The youngster and her friend Ms Jones collapsed at the hostel after accepting free spirit shots two nights prior.
The doctor described Ms Bowles’s condition upon arriving at the hospital, saying she went from a state of confusion to a coma within half an hour.
He told The Times: ‘She was confused and she was sleepy. We asked her what she had eaten or drunk, but she didn’t know what had happened.’
Dr Yaher suspected the teenager may have consumed too many cannabis-infused gummies that are common among tourists on the ‘banana pancake trail’ that they were taking.
After suffering a seizure and going into a coma, Ms Bowles was initially taken via ambulance to Kasemrad International Hospital, before being rushed to Setthathirath Hospital in Vientiane.
She was then transferred for treatment in nearby Thailand.
Ms Bowles tragically lost her life there on November 22, just one day after 19-year-old Ms Jones and four others who had been staying at the hostel also passed away.
Ms Bowles’s family said in a statement: ‘It is with broken hearts, and we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace.
‘We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.
‘Holly was living her best life travelling through South East Asia meeting new friends and enjoying incredible experiences.
‘As her parents we were always so incredibly proud of everything Holly did. Holly was an amazing big sister to James and she always looked out for him.’
Ms Bowles and Ms Jones had been on a gap year holiday when they both fell ill on November 12.
Staff became concerned after they failed to check out on November 13 and arranged to take the pair to hospital after they ‘calmly’ asked for assistance.
CCTV from inside the hostel shows one of the women being transported to a local clinic on the back of a motorbike being driven by a hotel staff worker.
Earlier on Thursday, the US State Department confirmed the death of a US citizen, a 56-year-old man, in Vang Vieng.
British lawyer Simone White, 28, also died, while the Danish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed two young women from Denmark also passed away.
Previously the manager of the hostel, Duong Duc Toan, was detained by local police.
An officer at Vang Vieng’s Tourism Police office, who refused to give his name, said on Friday that a ‘number of people’ had been detained in the case but that no charges had yet been filed.
Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which was still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed that the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.