Mark Jones spoke this Saturday, November 23, in front of the Bangkok hospital, where his 19-year-old daughter died two days earlier. “Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends,” he said.
For Bianca Jones, what was supposed to be “the trip of a lifetime” took a dramatic turn. This 19-year-old Australian woman, who died Thursday in a Bangkok hospital, is one of six tourists who died after poisoning with alcohol adulterated with methanol in Laos.
His father, Mark Jones, spoke to journalists on Saturday in front of the hospital to call on the Laotian authorities to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
“Our daughter was taking the trip of a lifetime with one of her best friends. This trip was to be filled with unforgettable memories and was to be the first of many. Bianca wanted to explore the world, meet new friends,” said said Mark Jones, quoted by ABC
Mark Jones thanked the Australian government for its support and everyone who paid tribute to his daughter. He also sent his condolences to the other families of the victims, in particular that of Holly Bowles, Bianca Jones’ best friend, who died on Friday. She was also 19 years old.
The other victims are two Danes, an Englishwoman and an American. According to several media, they died after consuming alcohol in Vang Vieng, a town in Laos located north of the capital Vientiane.
“May this type of incident never happen again”
Mark Jones urged the Laotian government to conduct a thorough investigation “to ensure that this type of incident does not happen again. “We will always miss our beautiful daughter and hope her loss was not in vain,” he added.
In a statement on Saturday, the Laotian government said it was “deeply saddened by the deaths of foreign tourists”, expressed its “sincere sympathy” and offered its “condolences to the families of the deceased”. He said an investigation was underway “to determine the causes of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The Vietnamese manager of the Nana Backpackers youth hostel in Vang Vieng, where Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were staying, was taken into custody, Laotian tourist police told AFP on Saturday.
