The families of two Melbourne teenagers left critically ill with methanol poisoning have rushed to be beside their beds in Thai hospitals.

Holly Bowles and her best friend Bianca Jones, both 19, fell ill last week after drinking cocktails apparently spiked with methanol while on holiday across South-East Asia.

They were staying at a youth hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist sport in Laos about 130 kilometres north of the capital, Vientiane, at the time.

Jones and Bowles are now in separate hospitals in Thailand, one in Bangkok and the other in Udon Thani.

Herald & Weekly Times chair Penny Fowler confirmed the incident in an email to staff. Jones’ mother works for the newspaper group.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Bianca and Holly, their families and all the other victims of this tragedy,” Fowler said.

Jones’ family told the Herald Sun they “can’t believe what has happened to our angel”.

“Our beautiful Bianca was on a dream getaway with her best friend Holly,” they said.

“They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia.

“We are here by Bianca’s bedside praying for her. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

The owner of the Nana Hostel, Duong van Huan, said the women were taken to hospital early last Wednesday after becoming ill after drinking at a nearby bar on Tuesday night.

“This has never happened at the hostel. My business takes care of everyone. We never do anything wrong,” he said.

“I’m not sure what happened but at the hostel we only sell drinks, whiskey, cocktails and police have already checked everything.

“All of the alcohol we have is safe. In eight years, this has never happened.”

Holly Bowles is fighting for life in a Thai hospital, with her parents at her side. Photo: Facebook

Jones and Bowles, who graduated from Beaumaris Secondary College in Melbourne’s south-east in 2023, were on university break and travelling as part of a larger group.

There are unconfirmed reports that two Swedish tourists have died and 10 others are also ill.

Staff at a Melbourne cafe, where Bowles apparently works, told The Age she was one of the sick Australian women.

“She’s just an absolute star. She’s a bundle of joy. To know her is to love her,” said the manager of Frank’s Melbourne, who did not want to be named.

“We’re just praying for the family. She’s just a loyal, caring sweet person.

“We value her so much as a friend, as well as a colleague.”

A government spokesperson confirmed that Australian authorities were providing assistance to the girls and their families.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand,” a DFAT spokesperson told SkyNews.com.au.

“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time. Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

The incident comes only months after six people died in Bangkok and a further 31 were hospitalised after drinking a local liquor spiked with methanol.

Thai authorities said those who fell ill had likely bought it at one of 18 locations in Bangkok, which had all bought it from the same supplier.

The supplier reportedly told police that she had bought the drink from two brothers and did not know it was tainted with methanol.

Methanol is a clear and tasteless liquid chemical that is often illegally added to alcoholic drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol.

Consuming even a small amount, less than 90 millilitres, can be fatal.

Severe symptoms of methanol poisoning can include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulty, blindness and seizures.

-with AAP