‘I knew she was going to die,’ admits mother of lawyer killed in Laos poisoning following call from daughter’s friend

2 December 2024, 07:36

The mother of a British lawyer who died while on holiday in Laos following a ‘mass methanol poising’ has recalled the ‘horrendous’ journey to her daughter’s bedside.

Speaking following the tragic death of her daughter, Sue White has recounted the heartbreaking call that revealed Simone White, 28, was in a critical condition after drinking contaminated vodka.

“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,” she revealed.

The heart-wrenching call with her daughter’s friend led to the mother’s arduous 16-hour journey to be by her daughter’s bedside from London Heathrow.

Ms White revealed she arrived at the hospital just as her daughter was being taken in for surgery, when it became clear the 28-year-old’s brain function was non-existent.

She died on Thursday 21 November.

Speaking with The Times on Sunday, Ms White warned others travelling to southeast Asia to be careful when accepting drinks, explaining: “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.”

Sue, 61, a travel agent from Orpington, took a Saturday flight to Bangkok after discovering her daughter’s condition.

Read more: Mother recounts horror 16-hour journey to reach dying daughter after mass methanol poisoning in Laos

Read more: Sixth person dies in Laos ‘methanol mass poisoning’ as hostel owner detained by police

Speaking publicly for the first time since the tragedy, the mother recounted the moment she discovered her daughter was suffering from suspected acidosis.

The three friends woke up with headaches after ingesting the shots, but did not suspect anything out-of-the-ordinary.

It wasn’t until the solicitor began vomiting that the trio decided to take a taxi to the public hospital.

The three then travelled on to a private medical facility in Vientiane, the country’s capital, shortly after.

At the time, Ms White’s friend told the mother: “Simone is the worst affected out of all of us but she’s not doing too badly. Keep you updated.”

Simone and her friends drank six vodka shots served by the hostel on the night of her death.

The shots are said to have been mixed with Sprite bought from a nearby supermarket.

Nine days after drinking the contaminated vodka, her ventilator at a private hospital located in Laos, was switched off by her mother.

Police in Laos have detained several people in connection with the death of Ms White and five others, who are also believed to have been poisoned.

Officials in Laos have released almost no details about the case, with the government keeping a tight lid on information.