Australia urges Laos to pursue transparent inquiry into methanol deaths

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Laos to carry out a transparent investigation into the methanol poisoning deaths of two Australian tourists during a Tuesday meeting with Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Manila.

The two Australians, Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, died after a night out in Vang Vieng, Laos, in November 2024. Two Danish citizens, an American and a Briton also died.

Methanol is a toxic alcohol that can be added to liquor to make it stronger. It can cause blindness, liver damage and death.

Laos authorities said on Saturday that they could not determine blame or the cause of the six tourists' deaths. They said they had begun legal proceedings against the owner of the Tiger distillery for "manufacturing or selling products hazardous to health" and "illegal commercial operation".

The pace of the investigation has been a point of contention between Canberra and Vientiane. Wong met Thongsavanh in Manila on the sidelines of a regional forum and said Australia was disappointed that more serious charges had not been laid.

Wong said in a statement that Australia expected the Lao government to make sure the investigation fully reflected the seriousness of the deaths and that those responsible were properly held to account.