Lee Hudswell dies in Vang Vieng, Laos

The backpacker craze of tubing down the Nam Song River in Laos has claimed the life of a Sydney man who died after leaping from a platform into the river.

Lee Hudswell, 26, hit his head when he jumped from a tower beside the riverbank onto an inflatable inner tube yesterday.

The Cronulla man was taken to hospital in Vang Vieng, about four hours north of the capital Vientiane, but later died from his head injuries.

A doctor at the hospital, who asked not to be named, said Mr Hudswell arrived about 5pm yesterday after a tubing accident but died at 6pm.

Brad Haigh, of New Zealand, who saw the accident, said Mr Hudswell jumped from a tower and landed badly in the river about 4pm.

''People put him on his side and tried to resuscitate him. But nobody knew what was happening. He jumped into the river, which is what everyone does, but there was no first aid on the river and no one knew what to do,'' he said. ''He was taken to hospital in a tuk-tuk. It was shocking.

''Last year, 22 people died here in the river. It's all good fun, drinking and dancing by the river, but when you add the free whisky, tubing and slides, it's really dangerous.''

There is no suggestion Mr Hudswell was drinking before he leapt into the river.

Another Australian tourist, who had been on the river the previous day, said the river was very low because it was not the rainy season. He described trapezes and platforms made from bamboo and metal rigged from the trees on the sides of the river. There was no obvious regulation or safety precautions.

Mr Hudswell's cousin, Kelsey Hunter, said his death was "devastating."

"He was known for his cheeky smile and his fierce loyalty to his family and friends."

Mr Hudswell's uncle, Ray Hudswell, said the family had heard he died after falling from a flying fox.

"He was a wonderful, energetic young man. Handsome, popular, and a superb athlete. He will be sorely missed."

"He had a sense of adventure, he played cricket with sutherland and rugby leage, and he enjoyed extreme sports."

Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos

You mean people actually died there? No way, that's hard to believe that such a fun place that serves alcohol and has so much water for you to swim, could be so dangerous. What could be better than going for a swim after you are drunk out of your mind. It makes it easier to jump off a cliff and into the water, and in this case, fall awkwardly off the flying fox to look cool in front of all your drunk friends that probably had a hard time finding you after, since they are all drunk too.

They need life jacket and safty training about the danger. Alcohol and swimming don't mix.
 

Backpacker dies in Laos in the third Aussie death in one month

• Backpacker third Aussie to die in Laos
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirms death of Victorian, 22
• Two Aussies earlier killed in tubing accidents

Another Australian backpacker has died in Laos in the third such death in the country in the past month.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed the man, 22, from Victoria died while on holiday in the south-east Asian country.

"Consular staff in Australia are providing assistance to the man's family," a spokeswoman said.

She added the man's body was found yesterday in Luang Prabang, in the country's northwest and local authorities would be handling the investigation into his death.

There are unconfirmed reports the man was travelling with his Dutch girlfriend, who is now believed to be missing.

The Dutch embassy in Bangkok confirmed it was investigating reports of a missing woman in Laos, but would not provide further details.

The tragedy follows the tragic death of Melbourne man Daniel Eimutis, 19, who died in a tubing accident in Vang Vieng two weeks ago.

He was found in a river three days after partaking in the extreme sport with friends.

In the same month, Sydney man Lee Hudswell, 26, was also killed while tubing in Vang Vieng.

Tubing is a hugely popular attraction in the Vang Vieng area and draws thousands to the area each year.

While some travel websites describe it as "thrilling" it is noted that it can be an "extremely dangerous" activity, particularly if tourists are doing it while drinking.

Australian woman nearly dies in Laos

Travellers relax and enjoy a drink before inner-tubing down a Laos river.

• Annika Morris drinks a free shot of whisky while tubing
• Rushed to a local hospital as sight and hearing faded
• "Could be another story of some one found dead down the river"

A Melbourne teenager who almost died while tubing in Laos has her best friend to thank for saving her life.

19-year-old Annika Morris's heart stopped multiple times in hospital after she drank a shot of free whisky at a Vang Vieng bar on Monday.

Annika's dad, Jeff, said his daughter and her friend Melba Blyth-Elvin were on a tubing trip when the drama unfolded.

He said if it wasn't for her friend's intervention, his daughter would be just "another statistic".

"She shouldn't really have survived, that's the sobering thing. She should've died on the river," Mr Morris said.

He said Ms Blyth-Elvin rushed Annika to a local hospital as her sight and hearing faded.

After local doctors tried to administer pennicillin, which Annika is alergic to, Mr Morris said a travelling German doctor intervened.

"He was performing a type of CPR.

"My undertsanding is her heart stopped on numerous occasions."

Mr Morris said Annika recovered after up to five hours of CPR. He believes Annika drank a black-market concoction and that her drink wasn't spiked.

He said the German doctor said it appeared methamphetamines were in her system because of her dilated pupils.

Travel blogs refer to a popular Laotian whiskey called Lao-Lao whiskey, which is highly potent and can be infused with scorpions or snakes.

"I don't believe her drink was spiked, it's more likely the alcohol, which was a black-market whisky, if anything.

"I think the free whisky is a real no-no because they're using that to entice you into their bar, they're not going to spend money on quality because they're giving it away," he said.

He said the girls were "shellshocked", arriving in Melbourne today after cutting their dream holiday short.

The near-tragedy comes after three young Australians died in Laos in recent weeks.

Yarraville man Alexander Lee, 22, was found dead with his dutch girlfriend in a Luang Prabang hotel room last week.

Sydney man Lee Hudswell, 26, and Daniel Eimutis, 19, died in separate incidents while tubing in Vang Vieng in January.

Mr Morris said Ms Blyth-Elvin, Annika's childhood friend, was a "legend'', and thanked the backpacker community for rallying around his daughter.

"If Annika had been by herself she could well have just floated down the river and could be another story of some one found dead down the river," he said.

Mr Morris said while he and his wife warned Annika of the perils of travelling, he never expected his daughter to fall ill through a toxic drink.

"Kids are always going to do this stuff - they're teenagers and they're high-risk animals. But I think they should be aware that anything like this that is free is probably highly dangerous," he said.





Annika Morris (left) who came close to death
after taking a potent whisky shot in Laos.

Your suggestion of a proper dress code won't come into force because tourists are having a day out at a river and not in a temple.

There are more to do besides tubing in Vang Vieng such as sightseeing and exploring the caves. More often than not, it's young people who get injured or killed in tubing related activities.



Have fun and relax in the river, but do not act like fools and disturb the waters or you risk death. Senior Lao people tell me there are water ghosts in Vang Vieng, and they like to take young people to be their partner.

It's also recommended that you say a short prayer in your language. Something along the line that you're here for a holiday and to look after you, and to assure the ghosts that you will not cause any trouble.

Laos is a corrupt country, there's no doubt about that, but you have to take responsibility for your own actions.

The officials, military and police force are not telling you to drink alcohol then go and jump in the river. What you want to do is your choice.