HONG KONG — An American teacher and his teenage son have been stung to death while on holiday in Laos.
Daniel Owen and his son, Cooper, who lived in neighboring Vietnam, were at an eco-adventure resort near the city of Luang Prabang when they were attacked on Oct. 15. NBC News was unable to confirm what they were stung by.
The two Americans were briefly treated at the Phakan Arocavet Clinic in Luang Prabang, director Phanomsay Phakan said Wednesday.
“The condition of the father and son was very serious, so they were quickly transferred to a nearby provincial hospital for further treatment,” Phakan said in an email.
Phakan told The Times of London that they had been stung more than 100 times and that their bodies were “covered in red spots.”
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Luang Prabang but declined to comment further “out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones.”
The U.S. embassies in Vietnam and Laos did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The eco-adventure resort, Green Jungle Park, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson told The Times that the incident was “unprecedented in our experience and, to our understanding, in Luang Prabang as well.”
“It was an unforeseeable and extraordinary natural occurrence,” the spokesperson said, adding that the park was reviewing its procedures.
Owen was director of QSI International School of Haiphong, one of Vietnam’s largest cities.
“Dan dedicated 18 years to QSI, serving in five different schools and touching countless lives with his warmth, leadership, and unwavering commitment to education,” the school said in a Facebook post. “He was deeply loved across our community and will be profoundly missed.”
Laos, a country of about 8 million people, is an increasingly popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia.
In November 2024, an American citizen was among six tourists who died in Laos, where alcohol tainted with methanol was blamed for poisoning them.
