The family of Melbourne teenager Holly Bowles has confirmed her death from suspected methanol poisoning during a holiday in Laos.

The 19-year-old died with her parents by her bedside in a Bangkok hospital on Friday, one day after her best friend Bianca Jones, also 19, died in another hospital in the Thailand capital with her family close by.

“It is with broken hearts and we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,” her family said in a statement.

“We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.

“Holly was living her best life travelling through South-East Asia meeting new friends and enjoying incredible experiences. 

“As her parents, we were always so incredibly proud of everything Holly did.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong offered her deepest sympathies to Holly Bowles’ family on behalf of the Australian people, in the wake of Bianca Jones’ death on Thursday.

Laotian police have detained the manager and owner of the hostel where the two teenage tourists stayed in a case that appears to have claimed the lives of at least six people.

An officer at Vang Vieng’s Tourism Police office told Associated Press on Friday that a “number of people” had been detained, but no charges have yet been filed. 

Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which was still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.

–AAP