Mother of former Newcastle student poisoned in Laos warns others to ‘be careful’ drinking

The mother of former Newcastle University student, Simone White, has spoken out about the “horrendous” journey she endured to reach her.

Sue White travelled 16 hours to Laos after her daughter was allegedly poisoned by methanol and died on November 21st.

Simone, who studied law with European legal studies at Newcastle University, was one of six victims suspected to have been served methanol-laced alcohol in Vang Vieng, Laos.

via Facebook

Sue, aged 61, travelled for 16 hours to reach the hospital where Simone was receiving treatment. She explained that she was required to give consent for “urgent” surgery on Simone.

Sue told The Sunday Times: “The flight from the UK was horrendous. Before I left, I got a call from the hospital to say she needed urgent brain surgery and I had to give my consent. It was a terrible, terrible journey.

“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.

“I had to go through the whole flight thinking she was going through brain surgery.”

Sue said she arrived at the hospital just as Simone was being taken into surgery.

“It was horrendous. Absolutely horrendous.

“She had such beautiful long blonde hair, which had all been shaved off for the operation. It was the worst experience of my life. There are no words, really.”

via Facebook

Simone later suffered brain failure and died on Thursday, 21st November, and tributes have since poured in from friends and family.

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It is believed that Simone and her companions consumed six free shots of Lao Tiger vodka, which her hostel provided. Authorities suspect that these shots caused the methanol poisoning.

When the victims’ condition worsened, they were taken to hospital after failing to check out of the hostel.

Simone was with two friends the night of the poisoning and both survived the incident.

Methanol is sometimes used by disreputable establishments as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but it can be deadly. Experts warn that consuming as little as 25 millilitres of methanol can be fatal.

Issuing a warning to others who are offered drinks abroad, Sue said: “Please be careful when it comes to drinks. Simone was a university educated, highly intelligent person. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anybody.”

The Laotian authorities have detained several individuals, including the owner and manager of the hostel, in connection with the alleged poisoning. The incident has resulted in six deaths and left multiple other victims hospitalised. The Laos government since launched an investigation into her death.

Officials in Laos, a one-party communist state, have released very few details about the case. Vang Vieng is a popular destination for tourists looking for nightlife and adventure sports in Laos.

Featured image via Facebook