NZer dies of suspected food poisoning in Thailand

A New Zealand woman on holiday in Thailand has died and her two companions are seriously ill after contracting what is thought to be food poisoning.

Sarah Katherine Carter, 23, died at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital, in northern Thailand, on Sunday morning from a food-related illness, according to an online memorial website.

An Aucklander, she had studied at Victoria University and had been working at Wellington accounting firm BDO Spicers in the past year.

She died from eating toxic seaweed while in Thailand, after eating at a food market on Friday. Her two women friends were in hospital.

Ms Carter's devastated father today paid tribute to her, telling stuff.co.nz "she touched the hearts of everyone she knew".

The hospital had called when she was admitted and he had talked to her, he said.

"It appeared to be just bad food poisoning. She appeared withdrawn and not sounding that good, but seemed all right. But within an hour of our conversation the thing just spread to her heart and strangled her heart."

His wife was in transit at Bangkok Airport when his daughter died, and he had to call her with the awful news.

Funeral services were being planned in Auckland and Wellington.

Mr Carter said his daughter, the eldest of three children, was a "very lovely girl".

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said her friends were being treated in a hospital.

One Amanda Eliason, 24, was in intensive care recovering from emergency heart surgery, Radio New Zealand reported.

Her grandmother Val Eliason said the trio had been travelling in Vietnam and Thailand.

Ms Eliason's condition was improving, she said.

The New Zealand embassy in Bangkok was in contact with the families of the trio, who had travelled to Thailand.

- NZPA