Two Aussie teens on Asia holiday fighting for life after cocktails spiked

Two young Australian women, believed to be about 19 years old, are critically ill after consuming cocktails suspected to be laced with methanol while on holiday in Southeast Asia.

The women, who graduated from Beaumaris Secondary College in Melbourne last year, first became ill after drinking the beverage on Friday while staying at a hostel near the border of Thailand and Laos.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Two young Melbourne women on life support following suspected methanol poisoning

One of the women has been flown to a hospital in Bangkok, with her family now by her side.

It’s understood the women had been travelling as part of a wider group who had also visited Laos.

There are unconfirmed reports that two other people have died and 10 are sick.

A spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand.

“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,” the spokesperson said.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

Methanol is often deliberately added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, which is the normal alcohol used in alcoholic drinks.

According to the Methanol Institute, this usually occurs in countries where taxes on ethanol are seen as too high.

Drinking just 25-90 mL of methanol can be fatal, the institute said.

Severe symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, emergency physician Doctor Stephen Parnis told 7NEWS.

“It can start affecting (your) brain. You can become comatose. You can become blind temporarily or permanently and it can kill you,” he said.

“Early recognition of this is important and early treatment by specialist hospitals is the way we can save these people’s lives.”