Note: I realize there are two separate topics, now in News Clippings, about the New Zealand girl who died, and now recently about the UK Linconshire couple. Both of those topics are the usual melee of wild speculation and genuine concerns.

However all of these people were staying at the Downtown Inn, near the Night Bazar. This, in my opinion, makes it worth highlighting this separately in the local Chiang Mai forum to this particular audience. It seems such a weird coincidence when a healthy young New Zealand girl dies, AND totally unrelated a UK couple end up dead within the space of 2-3 weeks, all of them staying at the Downtown Inn.

So that's it really for this post; no wild speculation about seaweed or whatever else in the water or the air, just that until this is cleared up I would personally stay some distance away.

References:

http://www.bbc.co.uk...nshire-12548717

and:

http://www.nzherald....fm?c_id=1501119

EDIT: 'bear' with me, of course.

Could be something with the water, if they were drinking tap water.

Got a photo of this place Dave; to jog my memory?

Stayed there last Sat. night.......was feeling a bit sick Sunday morning, but then that's not all that unusual

Just wondering? could it be air con? remember Legionnaires disease? from badly maintained air conditioners? Speculation, I'm sorry, but it's the sort of link there might be if there is any. And of course it does not have to be the legionella bacterium it might be an exotic airborne Thai bug. But as WTK says, I'd stay away from the place until more is known ( that might take a long time)

On Loi Khro 200 meters east of the RL across the street. WTK your link to NZ does not bring up the story.

@Lannarebirth: You can search for it on any hotel booking site, like Agoda et al.

Thanks gotlost; sorry for messing up the link. I'm away from my desk but Googling for 'Sarah Carter Downtown Inn' should find it.

maybe it's haunted by ghosts

Her is the link that connects the NZ girl to the Downtown Inn.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10705507

A. The NZ story comes up if you search Chiangmai using the paper's search function.

lrb.

re ... Got a photo of this place Dave

nahh sorry

but as wtk says if you go past burger king and the red lion heading for the iron bridge over the river its about 300 yards on your right

dave2

Last time I stayed at the Downtown Inn was August 2005. A few days after the flood. When I entered the reception area they were shoveling mud and debris out the the door. Stayed 3 nights and went back to Bangkok. The Downtown Inn struck me as one step above a guest house but not yet a three star hotel. Not bad but hard to say good.

Just wondering? could it be air con? remember Legionnaires disease? from badly maintained air conditioners? Speculation, I'm sorry, but it's the sort of link there might be if there is any. And of course it does not have to be the legionella bacterium it might be an exotic airborne Thai bug. But as WTK says, I'd stay away from the place until more is known ( that might take a long time)

It could not be Legionnaires disease - the symptoms would be totally different - more like very resistant pneumonia.

The way the couple was found looks more like a "silent killer" - something like carbon monoxide poisoning.

- quote wikipedia " The main manifestations of poisoning develop in the organ systems most dependent on oxygen use, the central nervous system and the heart.^[/url]The initial symptoms of acute carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, malaise, and fatigue.These symptoms are often mistaken for a virus such as influenza or other illnesses such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis. ^unquote

^{.....which would explain the "food poisoning" first suspected in the 3 victims from New Zealand and also the heart problems they developed of which one of them died.}

Let the "experts" (police) to do the investigation

Very good observation WK

Reading description of NZ couple: could be carbon monoxide.

I was surprised at the other thread with everyone suggesting 'suicide'? What?!

What would happen in the West in these circumstances?

Just wondering? could it be air con? remember Legionnaires disease? from badly maintained air conditioners? Speculation, I'm sorry, but it's the sort of link there might be if there is any. And of course it does not have to be the legionella bacterium it might be an exotic airborne Thai bug. But as WTK says, I'd stay away from the place until more is known ( that might take a long time)

It could not be Legionnaires disease - the symptoms would be totally different - more like very resistant pneumonia.

The way the couple was found looks more like a "silent killer" - something like carbon monoxide poisoning.

- quote wikipedia " The main manifestations of poisoning develop in the organ systems most dependent on oxygen use, the central nervous system and the heart.The initial symptoms of acute carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, malaise, and fatigue.These symptoms are often mistaken for a virus such as influenza or other illnesses such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis. ^unquote

^{.....which would explain the "food poisoning" first suspected in the 3 victims from New Zealand and also the heart problems they developed of which one of them died.}

It would be interesting to know if the NZ girls and the British couple had the same room.

Remember this?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/262695-norwegian-woman-and-american-woman-die-of-unknown-causes-on-koh-phi-phi/

Post 22.

Last time I stayed at the Downtown Inn was August 2005. A few days after the flood. When I entered the reception area they were shoveling mud and debris out the the door. Stayed 3 nights and went back to Bangkok. The Downtown Inn struck me as one step above a guest house but not yet a three star hotel. Not bad but hard to say good.

That just about sums up my opinion of it as well, though I haven't stayed there since Feb 2002. Not bad if you get their low season rate, but expensive in the high season. Never saw any ghosts there and I'm still living to tell the tale. coincidence Winnie?

Just wondering? could it be air con? remember Legionnaires disease? from badly maintained air conditioners? Speculation, I'm sorry, but it's the sort of link there might be if there is any. And of course it does not have to be the legionella bacterium it might be an exotic airborne Thai bug. But as WTK says, I'd stay away from the place until more is known ( that might take a long time)

It could not be Legionnaires disease - the symptoms would be totally different - more like very resistant pneumonia.

The way the couple was found looks more like a "silent killer" - something like carbon monoxide poisoning.

- quote wikipedia " The main manifestations of poisoning develop in the organ systems most dependent on oxygen use, the central nervous system and the heart.The initial symptoms of acute carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea, malaise, and fatigue.These symptoms are often mistaken for a virus such as influenza or other illnesses such as food poisoning or gastroenteritis. ^unquote

^{.....which would explain the "food poisoning" first suspected in the 3 victims from New Zealand and also the heart problems they developed of which one of them died.}

It would be interesting to know if the NZ girls and the British couple had the same room.

Yes I agree, ( I did not mean to suggest that it was Legionalla, just using it as an example). If the poor people had the same room it would strongly suggest a source, either microbial or chemical in the room, that would then mean either the water supply or an airborne source. The source could be either microbial or chemical. Airborne would seem more likely as it seems the english coule were unsuspecting and seem to have died at the same time . But let's leave it to the 'experts' ! ( and cross our fingers!) Shouldn't be difficult to pin point.

Reading the heading and the topic description I was expecting to see that the Downtown Inn was offering some sort of special naturist rate.

Hope the untimely deaths are soon resolved.

Got a photo of this place Dave; to jog my memory?

Try this:

http://www.google.co.th/images?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=685&q=downtown+inn+chiang+mai&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi

Reading the heading and the topic description I was expecting to see that the Downtown Inn was offering some sort of special naturist rate.

Hope the untimely deaths are soon resolved.

Ohhh thats your type of thing is it? So thats not your nose dangling down in your avatar then ?

As briefly mentioned above, a couple years ago on Koh Phi Phi 2 women (strangers to each other) died within a few days of each other at the same hotel. Jill St. Onge and Julie Bergheim. The government has tried to sweep it under the rug, as they don't want to affect tourism. But I think the general consensus on that one was, something bad in the air. But again, it was never really resolved... scary that people will thwart investigations of deaths to protect their bottom line. Of course, that happens everywhere, not just in this country.

ETA: Here's a little info about the follow-up to those deaths: http://jillstonge.blogspot.com/2010/03/been-about-year.html

On Loi Khro 200 meters east of the RL across the street. WTK your link to NZ does not bring up the story.

No but it did tell us that two and a half men is canceled for the season.

On the theory that the downtown Inn might have something to do with it. You can throw in the Empress Hotel they are as far I know both related. There is a shuttle between the two and your discount voucher for meals at the Empress is good at the Downtown Inn.

The Plot Deepens.

Just to throw a red herring in.

I have stayed at the Downtown Inn Hotel 6 times.

The Hotel rooms have their own controlled Air Conditioning.

The hallways on each floor has no Air Conditioning.

Reception and Dining areas uses Fans.

So not sure where the Legionnaires Disease, comes from.

I am not defending the Hotel.

Hope to hear what the finding of the outcome will be, if we ever hear

Is there also the possibility of a homicidal nutter stalking the corridors of said hotel? With a bottle of poisonous gas or the like?

Certainly not casting aspertions, or sugesting there is. Just a paranoid thought.

Sewer gas leaking from the bathroom perhaps? Seriously, some drains here are not vented properly. You can smell this in some bathroom areas.