'She was full of life', dad of teen who died in Laos poisonings tells BBC

The begetter of 19-year-old Holly Bowles, who died of suspected methanol poisoning successful Laos past month, has said helium was successful "disbelief" erstwhile helium realised his girl would not propulsion through.

Speaking to the BBC, Shaun Bowles described Holly arsenic "everything you'd privation your girl to be".

The Australian teen had been travelling crossed South East Asia with her champion person Bianca Jones erstwhile they fell sick aft drinking intoxicant thought to beryllium contaminated with methanol, a toxic substance sometimes added to bootleg drinks.

They were among six overseas tourists to dice implicit a fewer days successful the small, riverside tourer municipality of Vang Vieng.

"They were having an unbelievable time, conscionable having truthful overmuch fun, doing what 2 19-year-old girls should beryllium doing," Shaun Bowles told the BBC's Today Programme.

Shaun had spoken to his girl each fewer days since she began her backpacking trip, which was planned to observe her graduation from school.

Holly's mother, Sam, had spoken to her "every second", helium said.

"They were conscionable having an implicit blast."

The brace were taken to infirmary aft they failed to cheque retired of the Nana Backpacker hostel, wherever they were staying, and were recovered unresponsive successful their dormitory.

Sean and his household received quality that Holly and Bianca were unwell done a person of the girls. The 2 mothers flew retired to Thailand that night.

"When you're getting 2nd manus information... it was truly hard to process precisely what benignant of information that they were in," said Shaun.

He and Bianca's father, Mark, flew retired the adjacent day, by which constituent the girls were successful a infirmary successful Udon Thani, implicit the borderline from Laos successful Thailand.

Bianca died connected 21 November, and Holly a time later.

"She was conscionable afloat of life. She was confident, she was loving, she was conscionable a existent person of people. She was everything you privation your girl to be," said Shaun.

The grieving process, helium said, has been made much manageable by the information that helium is "best friends" with Bianca's father, Mark.

Together, Mark and Shaun had travelled done Thailand connected their ain backpacking travel 25 years ago.

"It's conscionable bizarre to beryllium going done the aforesaid happening with your champion friend. Just being unneurotic and conscionable talking helps america get done the days."

Now, Sean says, his absorption is connected raising consciousness of methanol poisoning to different young radical backpacking done South East Asia.

"We perfectly privation whoever is liable for this brought to relationship and brought to justice, and we're going to bash everything that we tin to marque definite that is the case," helium says.

The different 4 victims person been named arsenic Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from the UK; James Louis Hutson, a 57-year-old American; and Danish citizens Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21.

Eight radical person been arrested successful transportation with the case.