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Father of methanol-poisoned traveller ‘devastated’ as charges set to be laid

The father of an Australian who died from methanol poisoning while travelling in Laos has said the charges that will be laid against those allegedly responsible have left his family devastated.

Melbourne travellers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19, were backpacking through the south-east Asian nation in late 2024 when they were fatally poisoned with methanol while drinking at Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng.

Those allegedly responsible are set to be hit with charges, but the father of Morton-Bowles, Shaun Bowles, has told 2GB radio that they were not the results his family were looking for.

It is devastating news to us.

We’re still not convinced that they’re the right people.

We’ve had so many conflicting stories come out, it’s very hard to pin down who exactly is at fault.

It is not a 100% guarantee that a merchant vessel will not be affected while being supported by military assets.

It could be considered as a short term assistance, but not in the long or permanent term.

The message is very loud and clear for everybody…de-escalate.

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