Heartbroken Parents Recall Final Moments of Teens Killed by Suspected Methanol Poisoning in Laos

The parents of two Australian teenagers who were killed by suspected methanol poisoning in Laos are speaking out.

Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19, were among six tourists who died in November after drinking alcohol that authorities suspect was tainted with methanol in Vang Vieng, a town popular with backpackers and tourists.

The teenagers were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, a popular hostel that has since closed, when they both fell ill on Nov. 13 following a night out.

The friends were taken to the hospital after they failed to check out of their room at the hostel. Both later died at separate hospitals.

Bianca's father Mark Jones told 60 Minutes Australia about the moment his daughter’s doctor told him and his wife that she wasn't going to survive.

“He sat us down again and said, ‘The brain has continued to swell’,” he said.  “He’s like, ‘We’ll be calling her medically brain dead.’ So yeah, then we made the decision to turn off all the life support. And then we said our final goodbye. ”

Holly’s parents were told the following day that their daughter's condition was dire.

“In a way, we were fortunate to be there with Holly when she passed, which we will forever be grateful for,” Holly's father Shaun Bowles said. “And to not have that would’ve been just heartbreaking. It really would’ve been.”

Mark Jones said life without his daughter has been “pretty tough.”

"It's still hard to believe she's not coming home,” he said. “You wake up every morning, expecting her to walk out of her room.”

Related: 6 Tourists, Including 1 American, Now Reported Dead from Suspected Methanol Poisoning in Laos

Mark said he and his wife, along with the Bowles family, are still waiting for answers from the government of Laos.

"We've heard nothing," Mark said. "So, I can't be confident about anything."

Shaun said the Laos government has not reached out to them.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

"The Laos government sent their condolences via the federal police, and that, to us, means nothing, nothing at all," he said. "That's just not good enough."

Several people were detained from the Nana Backpacker Hostel but have since been released, according to 60 Minutes Australia.

According to the BBC, the hostel distributed free shots of alcohol to around 100 guests the previous evening.

"I cannot have my daughter's passing not mean anything," Mark said. “We want some form of closure. We want to understand that people who have done wrong by our daughter and Holly and the other people are going to be brought to justice."

In an interview with the Today show, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australian officials “expect a full, thorough, transparent investigation, and we expect that those responsible are brought to justice. It is entirely reasonable for the families to want answers. It is entirely reasonable for the families to want the government to be upfront with them. And that will continue to be my message to Laos. We want answers. We want transparency, and we want those who are responsible for causing the deaths of two beautiful, young Australian women brought to justice.”

Two tourists from Denmark, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, a British lawyer, Simone White, 28, and an American man in his 50s also died from the tainted alcohol, per Australia's SkyNews.

Read the original article on People