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The father of a Kiwi tourist who died in mysterious circumstances in Thailand is disappointed a report into her death has held no one accountable.
Thai health and forensic authorities today released the findings of an investigation into the deaths of New Zealander Sarah Carter and five other Western tourists.
The report found the death of Sarah Carter was probably due to exposure to a chemical, likely a pesticide. But the investigation was inconclusive.
Sarah Carter, 23, was visiting the Thai city of Chiang Mai in February when she became sick and died.
Some of the other victims covered in the report had stayed in the same hotel as Carter.
Richard Carter said he was pleased the report into his daughter's death had finally been released, but disappointed it held no one accountable.
"Not so pleased from the fact that it was narrowly focused and didn't investigate the circumstances in and around the rooms," Richard Carter said.
Although her exact cause of death was not pinpointed, Richard Carter said the authorities seem to have carried out extensive and thorough testing.
"We're pleased they've taken it quite seriously and also they've proposed a lot of remedies that will hopefully be put in place and will be for the benefit of all future visitors to their country," he told Newstalk ZB.
The report said that Sarah Carter and two of her friends, plus a Thai woman who was found dead in her room on February 3, were "most likely" to have the same cause of illness.
They had probably been exposed to "some toxic chemical, pesticide or gas", however the agent cannot be identified.
"The clinical manifestation in the three New Zealand women, who were all hospitalised, can be explained by exposure to some chemicals such as those found in pesticides," the report by the Department of Disease Control said.
The 47-year-old Thai woman who died was in a hotel room next to Sarah Carter and her friends.
The Thai investigation found it was "very likely" the cause of the illness suffered by the four women was the same "given the timing of the onset of their illness and the proximity of their rooms".
Sarah Carter and two of her friends had eaten at a market stall shortly before they became ill. Her family later discounted links to toxic seaweed.
Prime Minister John Key said he had not seen the report but offered his sympathies to the Carter family.
"It's very tragic and I'm sure everybody wants to get to the bottom of the situation," he said.
Key said he would have to look at the report before deciding if he would seeking further clarification from Thai authorities.
The report found three other deaths could have been linked to the death of Sarah Carter and the Thai national.
An American woman who died on January 11 was probably exposed to a similar "chemical or biotoxin" and died from myocardial injury (injury to the heart muscle).
The report said it could not exclude the possibility that the deaths of an elderly British couple on February 19, who stayed at the same hotel as Sarah Carter, were linked to her death. The couple died from cardiac arrest.
However the report found no links between the death of French woman who died on January 19 and the other deaths. It concluded she probably died from inflammation of all the heart muscles, which was probably related to a viral infection rather than chemical exposure.
The New Zealand Embassy had been pressing for answers about Sarah Carter's death.
The report includes a list of actions to be taken by Thai authorities to ensure a similar tragedy does not happen again.
They include:
- a panel to investigate and recommend stricter measures for
using pesticides in hotels and markets
- a website and phone line for tourists to report illnesses
- new guidelines for investigating tourist fatalities following
illness