Family call for drink warnings
The family of a former Taranaki teenager who died from methanol poisoning in Indonesia are calling for extra government warnings for travellers heading to the holiday destination.
Liam Davies suffered methanol poisoning after drinking at a bar on the island of Lombok, near Bali, on New Year’s Eve.
The 19-year-old was rushed to an Indonesian hospital on New Year’s Day and was later taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, where he had been on life support in a critical condition.
Liam was the son of Tim and Lhani Davies from Taranaki.
The couple and Liam’s two teenage brothers were at his bedside when he died yesterday.
Methanol is a toxic chemical that is sometimes added to cheap drinks to make them more alcoholic.
The effects of methanol poisoning can range from vomiting, headaches and gastric pain to coma, liver failure and, in extreme cases, death. Blindness is also common – it can last a few hours or lead to permanent damage.
Poisoning incidents in Indonesia have risen since a government crackdown on overseas alcohol saw taxes on foreign drinks skyrocket.
Liam’s aunt Aana Prentice, of Inglewood, said more needed to be done to warn tourists of the dangers of drinking in Indonesia.
‘‘The only way to be safe is to make sure you drink from a sealed bottle and don’t drink the local cocktails,’’ Mrs Prentice said.
She said all tourists heading to Indonesia needed to be made aware of the risks, and she was surprised that the Australian and New Zealand governments were not doing more.
‘‘It needs to be that you can’t get into Bali without seeing a sign or being given information about the dangers of these drinks.’’ Mrs Prentice said Liam was a talented sportsman who was finishing a roofing apprenticeship and had a bright future.
‘‘He wanted to travel the world.’’
In 2008, Liam represented Australia at the under-19 World Lacrosse Championships.
Liam is not the first tourist poisoned on the popular islands. In 2011, prominent Perth rugby player Michael Denton, 29, died in a Bali hospital after consuming a drink containing methanol.
Three days before his death, Sydney nurse Jamie Johnston, 26, collapsed after drinking a cocktail spiked with methanol while on holiday on the Indonesian island. She suffered brain damage and kidney failure, but survived.
In June, Swedish backpacker Johan Lundin, 28, was poisoned by a mojito laced with methanol on an island off Lombok.
Two years ago, 25 Balinese died from a deadly homemade concoction that police said contained methanol. A few months later, 22 people died and 300 others suffered poisoning after drinking bootleg liquor laced with methanol in central Java.
In two weeks in 2009, at least four foreigners were among 25 people who died from methanol poisoning in Bali and Lombok. More than 50 other people needed hospital treatment.