The president of the AFL club that best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles played for says the community has been ‘rocked to its foundations’ after Ms Jones succumbed to methanol poisoning this week.
The Jones family confirmed the 19-year-old had died on Thursday after she spent a week in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ms Bowles remains fighting for life after both girls fell ill in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in the popular tourist town of Vang Vieng on November 13.
The death toll climbed to five overnight after UK lawyer Simone Kent, 28, from Kent died with at least seven other tourists still in hospital.
Beaumaris Football Club president Nick Heath became emotional as he spoke about the impact Ms Jones’ death had had on the tight-knit community.
‘The news has been hard,’ he told Sunrise on Friday.
‘The one comfort is the overwhelming response we’ve had not only from local people here in our local community but the response from Australians has just been quite overwhelming.
‘Certainly, the families are conveying that, they’re feeling that and it’s making a big difference to them overseas while they’re dealing with this horrible situation.’
Beaumaris Football Club president Nick Heath became emotional as he spoke about the impact Ms Jones’ death had had on the tight-knit community
The Jones family confirmed the 19-year-old (pictured) had died after a week in a Bangkok hospital in a heartbreaking statement on Thursday
He said the Jones’ family were preparing to bring Bianca’s body home to Australia after spending a week by her bedside.
The president became emotional as he spoke about the ‘zest for life’ that both girls shared as well as their love for AFL and travel.
‘It’s no surprise they went off on this great adventure overseas after Covid, when their footy career was interrupted for a few years,’ he said.
‘A lot of our young people are just now catching up (after they) missed out during Covid years, where they can now go and see the world and socialise.
‘Then something like this happens and it just rocks you.’
On Thursday night, American rock band Pearl Jam paid tribute to Ms Jones during the first night of their Australian tour in Sydney.
Eddie Vender told 50,000 fans her death was a ‘senseless tragedy’.
‘The one young woman, Bianca Jones, she’s passed, and her friend Holly Bowles is hanging on and we wish her the best, and we are thinking of the parents,’ he said.
Holly Bowles (left) and Bianca Jones (right) both played for the Beaumaris Football Club
‘We are sending you everything we have got today. We are so sorry.’
Jones and Bowles had been spending time in Laos as part of a gap year trip they had been planning for years.
Ms Jones’ family confirmed her death in a statement on Thursday.
‘It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our beloved daughter and sister, Bianca Jones, has passed away,’ the statement said.
‘She was surrounded by love, and we are comforted by the knowledge that her incredible spirit touched so many lives during her time with us.
‘We want to express our deepest gratitude for the overwhelming support, love, and prayers we’ve received from across Australia.
‘The kindness shown to our family during this unimaginable time has been truly humbling.
‘We kindly ask for privacy as we navigate through our grief and begin to heal. Thank you for respecting our family’s space.
‘With heartfelt appreciation, Mark, Michelle and Lachlan Jones.’
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‘Completely shattered’: Emotional rugby president pays tribute to Bianca Jones after her tragic death
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