A Melbourne backpacker and his girlfriend who died in Laos were found lying in each other's arms in a hotel room strewn with prescription medication, according to a local tourism official.
It is believed 22-year-old Alexander Lee, of Yarraville, died before 18-year-old Rianne Brouwer, from Bakkum in the Netherlands, but it is not yet known what caused their deaths, a spokesman for the Lao National Tourism Administration told ninemsn.
Staff at a hotel in Nongkio Village, in the central province of Luang Prabang, discovered their bodies on Saturday after noticing a foul stench coming from the room.
They were found in bed cuddling under a blanket "like husband and wife", according to a Tourism spokesman.
"There was a lot of medication lying all around the room," he said.
It is believed their bodies went unnoticed for several days, as the pair had not been seen alive since January 31.
The Dutch embassy and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs were notified of the deaths on Tuesday.
Mr Lee's father, a Metro Trains employee in Melbourne, was told his son had died as he arrived at Flinders Street Station at the end of his shift on Tuesday.
Laos officials yesterday handed Mr Lee's body and belongings over to Australian officials.
Police have instructed the hotel to close the room to the public until relatives of the young couple have had the chance to visit it.
Mr Lee is the third Australian to die in Laos in the past month.
Melbourne man Daniel Eimutis, 19, was found in a river three days after going tubing with friends in Vang Vieng two weeks ago.
Daniel, a strong swimmer, did not return to his guesthouse after he went tubing and is believed to have drowned.
Earlier in the month, 26-year-old Sydneysider Lee Hudswell was also killed while tubing in Vang Vieng.
It is believed he landed badly after jumping off a tower into the river.
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