The mother of a London lawyer who died after drinking contaminated vodka while travelling in Laos has recalled her “horrendous” journey to be at her daughter’s bedside.
Simone White, 28, had been backpacking with two childhood friends at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng when she became seriously unwell after accepting a shot of alcohol, which also killed five others.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, her mother Sue White said: “I knew when I had that phone call – I don’t know what it was, call it a mother’s intuition – but I knew that she was going to die.”
Simone was taken in for surgery just as her mother arrived at the hospital after a 16-hour journey from Heathrow. It later became clear that her brain function was gone, and she died on Thursday 21 November.
Ms White warned young travellers exploring southeast Asia to be careful when accepting drinks, stressing: “Simone was a university-educated, highly intelligent person. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody.”
Her daughter and her friends were among a group of people who became violently unwell, and police detained eight members of staff at the hostel for questioning. The owners have denied selling illicit alcohol.
Simone had not noticed anything out of the ordinary with the drinks, but she and her friends woke up with headaches and their condition grew worse over the following day.
After starting to vomit, the trio decided to take a taxi to the public hospital, before travelling on to a private medical facility in Vientiane, the country’s capital.
It was on Thursday 14 November that her mother received a text message to say that the three were in hospital with suspected acidosis. Her friend added: “Simone is the worst affected out of all of us but she’s not doing too badly. Keep you updated.”
The following day, she received a phone call from her daughter’s friend, who told her to travel out to Laos as Simone’s condition had worsened and she had required two blood transfusions and a brain operation.
Methanol is a deadly chemical that can be found in home-brewed or counterfeit alcohol, and only a small amount can cause organ failure, blindness and death.
Unfortunately, Simone’s condition deteriorated, and despite the best efforts of the hospital staff, she died a few days later.
Since her death, tributes have flooded in for the successful lawyer, who had been working at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs. Her work involved general commercial matters as well as contentious and non-contentious issues relating to intellectual property law.
Landlocked Laos is one of southeast Asia’s poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking social interaction and adventure sports.
Officials in Laos have released almost no details about the case, with the government keeping a tight lid on information. The country is a one-party communist state with no organised opposition.