Five confirmed dead after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos

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A British girl lawyer has died after ingesting tainted alcohol in Laos, media reported, the fifth younger particular person to die after an evening out in a vacationer city on the Southeast Asian backpacker path.

Media recognized the lady as Simone White, 28, who had been staying within the scenic riverside city of Vang Vieng the place a couple of dozen folks fell unwell after reportedly ingesting free vodka pictures laced with methanol at a backpacker bar.

“We're supporting the household of a British girl who has died in Laos, and we're in touch with the native authorities,” Britain’s Overseas Commonwealth and Growth Workplace stated on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, the household of 19-year-old Australian Bianca Jones stated she had died in a hospital within the northeastern Thai city of Udon Thani, the place she had been despatched after falling sick in Laos.

Her good friend Holly Bowles, 19, is combating for her life in Bangkok, the place she has been on life help.

The U.S. State Division confirmed the demise of an unidentified American citizen, whereas the Danish authorities stated two of its nationals had died in Laos with out releasing additional particulars.

Lao police haven't confirmed the reason for the deaths however Thai authorities stated on Thursday the post-mortem on Jones confirmed she died from mind swelling brought on by methanol.

Methanol is a transparent, tasteless liquid that can be utilized to spice up the alcohol content material of drinks, usually with deadly penalties.

Some 1,200 folks have fallen unwell from ingesting methanol-laced drinks up to now 12 months, in response to Docs With out Borders, which stated 394 folks had died worldwide, a lot of them in Asia.

The British, Australian and New Zealand embassies have issued up to date journey advisories on the hazard of methanol in Laos.

‘Don’t settle for free drinks’

Particulars of how the vacationers got here to drink tainted alcohol in Vang Vieng on the night of Nov. 12 are sketchy and it's not clear in the event that they had been all ingesting on the similar bar. There have been no experiences of Lao folks within the broader group falling sick.

A city police officer who declined to be recognized because of the sensitivity of the case, stated he couldn’t give particulars of the investigation however warned that anybody discovered promoting tainted drinks would face severe penalties.

“Methanol is principally prohibited to combine with alcohol for gross sales as it's listed as a life-harming chemical,” he instructed Radio Free Asia. “It's only allowed for use for industrial functions.”

A Lao tourism official instructed RFA that officers had checked all bars and leisure venues in Vang Vieng however added he couldn't give particulars of their findings.

Duong Duc Toan, the supervisor of Nana Backpacker Hostel sits within the hostel’s bar in Vang Vieng, Laos, Nov. 19, 2024. Bar workers and venue managers within the city stated they solely provided respected manufacturers of drinks, although one in all them warned that clients ought to all the time watch out.

“The one factor that may forestall this sort of incident is to not settle for any free drink provided by somebody you don’t know in a bar,” stated the person, who declined to be recognized.

“Methanol has been used within the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of well-known alcohol manufacturers or unlawful native spirits, like vodka,” the British Overseas Workplace warned in an replace to its Laos journey web page on Wednesday.

“You must take care if provided, notably at no cost, or when shopping for spirit-based drinks. If labels, scent or style appear improper then don't drink.”