60 Minutes S2025E01 - Evil Spirit

60 Minutes returns on Sunday with a story which centres around the tragic deaths of tourists, including two Australians, following methanol poisoning at a backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos.

Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles knew each other their entire lives. They grew up as the very best of best friends. Last November, the two 19-year-old women from Melbourne did what hundreds of thousands of young people over the world do every year. They went backpacking through Asia. But in communist Laos, they struck trouble. Adventure turned to tragedy when Bianca and Holly inadvertently consumed alcohol tainted with deadly methanol. Days later they lost their lives. And so did four other travellers who drank from the same batch of bad spirits: three young women from Denmark and England, and an American man. In the 2025 season premiere of 60 Minutes the heartbroken parents of the Australian, Danish and English victims tell Tara Brown of their determination to do all they can to expose the dangers methanol-laced alcohol poses to travellers around the world. They also reveal their frustration with authorities in Laos who have been less than transparent in sharing information about how this tragedy happened, and who is responsible.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Serge Negus, Sheree Gibson