Canadian Sisters Died Of 'Food Poisoning' In Thailand Hotel

[Lite Beer]

Sisters died of 'food poisoning' in Thailand hotel

The sisters are Audrey Belanger, 20,

and Noemi Belanger, 26, both of

Pohenegamook, Quebeq, Canada

Bangkok, June 17, 2012 (AFP) - Two Canadian sisters found dead in their hotel room on a popular Thai resort island may have been the victims of "serious food poisoning", police said Sunday.

The bodies of Audrey and Noemi Belanger, aged 20 and 26, were found Friday by hotel staff on Phi Phi island in the Andaman Sea, 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of Bangkok, showings signs of having suffered an extreme toxic reaction.

"Forensic officials found vomit in the room, blood on their lips and gums and their fingernails and toenails were blue," lieutenant colonel Rat Somboon of Krabi Provincial Police said, adding there were "signs of serious food poisoning."

"They died more than 12 hours before being found. They had eaten meals outside the hotel," he said.

The bodies of the sisters, who were from Canada's French-speaking Quebec province, were taken from Phi Phi to the nearby town of Krabi on Thailand's Andaman seaboard, where a probe into the cause of the deaths was underway, he added.

Lieutenant Pongpan Waiyawat, of Phi Phi's police force said more details would be released "once there is some progress", adding there was no indication of a violent struggle inside their room at the Palm Residence Hotel.

Thailand is a tourist magnet but its image as the "Land of Smiles" has been tested in recent years by deadly political unrest, devastating floods and more recently a bungled bomb plot involving Iranian suspects.

Phi Phi island is one of Thailand's tourist jewels, made famous by the 2000 film The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and was rebuilt after it was devastated by the 2004 tsunami.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-06-17

[dingdang]

Some reports say, the tourists which died some years back (the two swedish girls and the american couple, one of each survived) were found naked.

I also had once a room, where clearly was "something" on the sheets. Later I thought it feels like a sort of powder. During the night my clothes on the legs had moved, and where the skin had contact with the sheets there was a rash. I suppose it was stuff against the cockroaches plaque there.

Maybe, when a person sleeps naked - having contact full body length with such sheets - it can get fatal?

But it doesn't really explain the vomitting?

And about getting help. Who ever had a serious food-poisoning will know, that in the beginning you might think, it will stop soon. Vomitting can be so strong, that it rips you off the feet. Also, travellers arrive and don't necessarily have a travel insurance, nor the budget to pay a hospital bill...

Who falls sick in the room might well stay there and think it will go by, and then quickly its too late, cause you are too weak...

[Skywalker69]

It´s makes you want to cry. So sad, so sad.

[TommoPhysicist]

Serious food poisoning?

I would like to be directed to a web page which describes the sort of food poisoning where symptoms include blue nails and bleeding gums.

We appear to be already heading for a cover-up. Let's hope the family can recover the bodies back to their home country and a competent autopsy, before the bodies are 'accidentally' cremated by the Thai authorities.

Disgraceful Thailand.

[lannarebirth]

Thai police report "whatever happened it has nothing to do with this hotel".

[GentlemanJim]

Well, we obviously await more information but I cannot believe for one moment that this is food poisoning, unless the food was literally poisoned with some form of pesticide or lethal animal poison. When are the police here going to learn about keeping their mouths shut until a post mortem has been carried out. It does not take a brain the size of a rocket scientist to realise that something happened so quickly, these girls were unable to get medical help and it quickly became to late for them then to do anything. If they stick with the food poisoning story it is both a travesty and an attempted whitewash.

[swillowbee]

... "serious food poisoning"? ... okay? ... so, food poisoning is common throughout the world, reasonably moreso in 3rd world countries.

... I could buy "food poisoning" as a result of arsenic, or insecticide, or maybe a strong allergic reaction ... but, death by the average case of food poisoning seems a bit of a rarity ... given the increasing incidence of these sorts of tourist deaths in Thailand, and the proforma claim with which the Royal Thai Police always start (food poisoning, insincere sympathies, insincere wais, case closed, go away), it seems a second opinion would be prudent, as proforma for any farang who dies in Thailand.

... I hope the family will have forensics performed outside of Thailand.

... can there be any doubts about how this "investigation" will go? ... sad

[overdog]

Poisoning? Believable. Food poisoning? Hmmm... Even the potentially deadly E. Coli poisoning takes days of misery, not hours, to result in death.

http://www.medicinenet.com/e_coli__0157h7/page2.htm#symptoms

I do hope that a better analysis is conducted so that the family can at least know the truth.

[canuckamuck]

A very sad case made worse by the obvious coverup already in motion.

It is very important now that autopsies be performed in Canada.

My condolences to the family.

[Soutpeel]

And this result is based on autopsy of the victims ?.......WOW BIB at their best....

[lannarebirth]

... "serious food poisoning"? ... okay? ... so, food poisoning is common throughout the world, reasonably moreso in 3rd world countries.

... I could buy "food poisoning" as a result of arsenic, or insecticide, or maybe a strong allergic reaction ... but, death by the average case of food poisoning seems a bit of a rarity ... given the increasing incidence of these sorts of tourist deaths in Thailand, and the proforma claim with which the Royal Thai Police always start (food poisoning, insincere sympathies, insincere wais, case closed, go away), it seems a second opinion would be prudent, as proforma for any farang who dies in Thailand.

... I hope the family will have forensics performed outside of Thailand.

... can there be any doubts about how this "investigation" will go? ... sad

It may be food poisoning, but that wasn't the point of this new announcement. The point of this new announcement was to indemnify the hotel they were staying at. "The cause of death is food poisoning and the girls didn't eat at their hotel."

We are no closer at all to an explanation of what has occurred, in fact probably further away.

[sunshine51]

Please read my post (#251) in the previous thread about this tragedy. It may not be the answer

but I believe it may answer some questions. Cover up...let's not be too hasty eh people.

R. I. P. ladies. Condolences to the family.

[lannarebirth]

Please read my post (#251) in the previous thread about this tragedy. It may not be the answer

but I believe it may answer some questions. Cover up...let's not be too hasty eh people.

R. I. P. ladies. Condolences to the family.

It's a shame the old thread was closed. This latest article should have just been added to it, rather than become the basis for the new and sole thread on this tragic affair.

[sportsman69]

Serious food poisoning?

I would like to be directed to a web page which describes the sort of food poisoning where symptoms include blue nails and bleeding gums.

We appear to be already heading for a cover-up. Let's hope the family can recover the bodies back to their home country and a competent autopsy, before the bodies are 'accidentally' cremated by the Thai authorities.

Disgraceful Thailand.

Totally agree with all you say

Reading between the lines as we here are always forced to do to get even an idiom of the truth.. A cover up already seems to be well on the way.

Poor Girls, R.I.P. Condolences to family and friends.

[ttelise]

Any wonder why crime or murder rates, particularly for foreigners, are so skewed. People hanging themselves in odd bizarre positions, all the jumpers who by all reports seemed happy and left no notes, cases like th is and then all of those unresolved crimes.

Cover ups like this are criminal, but it keeps the crime stats down.

These girls were murdered and the murder is still walking around and will undoubtedly strike again. Maybe this psychopath is a BIB or someone who manipulate the investigation.

They should be saying toxicology shows no signs of pathogens or toxins other than botulism, camplobactor or etc. You dint have to guess in good poisoning. You can identify bacterium through cultures/pathology.

[skippybangkok]

So........ there were only 2 girls who ate this meal at a particular restaurant......... ? sounds highly unlikely to me.

[thaimite]

Serious food poisoning?

I would like to be directed to a web page which describes the sort of food poisoning where symptoms include blue nails and bleeding gums.

We appear to be already heading for a cover-up. Let's hope the family can recover the bodies back to their home country and a competent autopsy, before the bodies are 'accidentally' cremated by the Thai authorities.

Disgraceful Thailand.

I agree, and death was obviously too quick for them to be able to call for help.

Food poisoning No. Poison placed in the food! Maybe.

Very sad and condolences to the family

[Thai at Heart]

People don't lie next to each other when they are being sick and vomiting waiting to die of food poisoning. This must have happened much much quicker than food poisoning. I really believe there is a very sick and dangerous person on that island randomly knocking off tourists.

[lannarebirth]

People don't lie next to each other when they are being sick and vomiting waiting to die of food poisoning. This must have happened much much quicker than food poisoning. I really believe there is a very sick and dangerous person on that island randomly knocking off tourists.

I don't tend to give much credence to "facts not in evidence", but I have to admit I am giving more weight to your view on this matter than I would ever have in the past.

[steelepulse]

Does anyone even believe this? What a farce and certainly a tragedy and a travesty that officials spew out this nonsense.. RIP sisters.

[PoorSucker]

Is eating puffer fish considered food poisoning, I think something got lost in translation.

[stevenl]

Pufferfish poison can quickly lead to paralysis, and I'm sure there are more poisons found in food that can have the same effect. So food poisoning can be a very reasonable explanation.

[Jessi]

RiP and condolences to the family and love ones.

Nothing new here just another cover up....move along now please gents

[evadgib]

The conspiracy theorists should spare a thought for the families that are likely to read this!

[lannarebirth]

As the girls were sisters, perhaps a genetic food allergy? Thai restaurants will never disclose their ingredients for those who must be cautious about such things.

[steelepulse]

I can't recall the last time I saw fugu on a Thai menu and I seriously doubt anyone would order pufferfish, nor does a restaurant offer pufferfish that I've ever seen. Restaurants would rather sell you snapper or some other common and well known fish.

[eggshen]

Anyone interested in what happend to the 2 women who died in 2009 over at the Laleena guesthouse,

please read Ryan's post (post #11 - he was the fiancee of the diseased Jill St. Onge from Seattle, Wa) here:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1769166

There are some clear similarities, and it's outright spooky.

[ttelise]

The conspiracy theorists should spare a thought for the families that are likely to read this!

No, they need to realize that a murderer is likely walking free and thus will likely happen to someone else' daughter. Hopefully, they can demand an appropriate pathology report and investigation.

[PoorSucker]

I can't recall the last time I saw fugu on a Thai menu and I seriously doubt anyone would order pufferfish, nor does a restaurant offer pufferfish that I've ever seen. Restaurants would rather sell you snapper or some other common and well known fish.

updated 8/23/2007 4:35:54 AM ET

BANGKOK, Thailand — Unscrupulous vendors in Thailand have been selling meat of the deadly puffer fish disguised as salmon, causing the deaths of more than 15 people over the past three years, a doctor said Thursday.

[ttelise]

As the girls were sisters, perhaps a genetic food allergy? Thai restaurants will never disclose their ingredients for those who must be cautious about such things.

Allergy would act quickly and in resturant. Poisins such as arsenic take a hour or so before it presents as symptoms of food poisoning so the poor girls likely thought they had food poisoning and did not seek help. Seizures, acute renal failure, shock and etc. would later manifest without much warning. Food allergy not cause what they experienced.