Two teens fighting for their lives after drinking cocktails laced with methanol during Thailand vacation

Two Australian teenagers have been left fighting for their lives after consuming cocktails allegedly laced with methanol while traveling through Southeast Asia.The women, believed to be 19, graduated from Melbourne’s Beaumaris Secondary College last year and were on their dream backpacking trip when tragedy struck.It is understood that the pair first became sick after consuming the cocktails on Friday while staying at a hostel in Udon Thani in Thailand, close to the Laos border, according to 3AW host Jacqui Felgate.One of the women has been flown to a Bangkok hospital and her family is now by her side, with Felgate talking to her father, who described her condition as “grave”.“I think it’s one of those stories where if you have teenage kids, you go home and hug them a little tighter,” Felgate said on 3AW Drive.The two teens had been travelling as part of a larger group of around 10 women who had also visited Laos.Methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal alcohol used in alcoholic beverages.This usually occurs in countries where taxes on ethanol are seen as too high, according to the Methanol Institute.Consuming as little as .85 ounces (25 millilitres) – 3.04 ounces (90 millilitres) of methanol can be fatal.Symptoms of poisoning can include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, blindness and seizures.Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Please provide a valid email address.

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A spokesperson Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to news.com.au that they were providing assistance to two Australians in Thailand.“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand,” a DFAT spokesperson sa...