"She was really excited because she was going out there to meet up with her friend Bethany [Clarke], who she hadn't seen for seven months," Zak tells BBC Newsbeat. He says his 28-year-old sister, a trainee lawyer, was a "very experienced traveller", so seeing her off was nothing out of the ordinary. The siblings' farewell was "more just wishing her to go and have a nice time," says Zak. "'See you when you're back', kind of thing."
"Simone was one of six tourists who died after drinking free shots at a hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos' famous party town. It is thought those drinks were tainted with methanol, a toxic substance normally found in paint thinner but that is sometimes mixed with alcohol illegally to cut costs. Simone and Bethany started to feel unwell after their night at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, when about 100 guests were given free shots."
"I remember my mum got told it was serious and she should go and fly out there. I remember it not kind of really feeling real," says Zak. Simone was eventually put on life support - but it was too late. "Not really knowing what was going on, that was quite difficult," says Zak. "I didn't think she was ever going to die."
Simone, a 28-year-old trainee lawyer, traveled to Laos to backpack and meet a friend. She and her friend Bethany consumed free shots at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, where about 100 guests were given drinks. The drinks are believed to have been tainted with methanol, a toxic substance sometimes mixed into alcohol to cut costs. Both women became unwell and were admitted to hospital with methanol poisoning. Simone was placed on life support and later died. Her brother Zak describes ongoing grief, anxiety and PTSD triggered by bars and shots.
Read at www.bbc.com
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