Need to know
- Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were 19-year-old best friends from Melbourne who died after drinking methanol-tainted alcohol while travelling in Laos.
- They were among six foreign tourists who died after drinking methanol-tainted alcohol at a backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng in November 2024.
- The families have condemned the expected penalties of reportedly a maximum of one year in jail or a $640 fine.
- Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the government is “deeply frustrated” and is sending a special envoy to Laos to press for tougher penalties.
The families of two young Australian women who died after drinking spirits cut with methanol at a Laos hostel have learned the people allegedly responsible will not face any serious charges.
Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19 and from Melbourne, were among six people who fatally ingested the tainted alcohol at the Nana Backpackers in Vang Vieng in November 2024.
Australia is sending a special envoy to Laos today to lobby for harsher action over the tragic deaths after being briefed about the expected charges, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said on Friday morning.
“The Australian Government is deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges in relation to the methanol poisoning deaths of Australian citizens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones,” the Minister said.
“This devastating news will only add to the immense pain and grief suffered by the families and friends of Holly and Bianca.”
Minor charges expected
Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper has reported that the families were informed that the charges that will be laid against the alleged offenders will carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail or a $640 fine.
Bianca’s father, Mark Jones, spoke to the masthead, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to intervene.
In an interview with The Weekly last year, Mr Jones said the families had been advocating for justice and raising awareness about the dangers of methanol.
“At the moment, there’s absolutely nothing in place to stop this from happening to someone else’s daughter or son,” Mark told The Weekly in November 2025.
Both the Jones and Bowles families have spoken to the media this morning about the inadequacy of the Lao government’s response.
“What happened to Holly, Bianca and four other foreign nationals should never have happened,” Minister Wong said on Friday.
“We have consistently made clear our expectations that charges should reflect the gravity of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024. This includes the Prime Minister and I expressing these expectations directly to our respective counterparts.”
Minister pledges to fight for justice
Minister Wong said she would raise the matter with her Lao counterpart when she travels to Manila with the ASEAN-related Foreign Ministers’ Meetings next week.
The Lao government is expected to hold a press conference on Friday afternoon detailing the charges that will be laid over the deaths.
British backpacker Simone White, 28, Danish tourists Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, and Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and American James Hutson, 57, also lost their lives in the mass poisoning event.
Mark Jones told The Weekly last year that Bianca and Holly care deeply about the people they love.
“They were strong, smart, opinionated young women,” Mark said. “Beautiful, passionate young women, who were all about making positive change in the world.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is available. Find support services here.
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