United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Five tourists dead in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol
A fifth foreign tourist has died after a group drank suspected tainted alcohol in Laos.
British national Simone White has been confirmed as the fifth fatality.
The UK Foreign Office said it is ‘supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Laos.’
It follows the deaths of two Danish travellers, an American and an Australian woman.
Another is in a serious condition.
It happened in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng.
Around 12 tourists became ill after drinking.
It is thought the drinks could be home made and contain toxic methanol.
There have been several deaths attributed to methanol poisoning of alcohol across Southeast Asia over many years, especially in Indonesia and Thailand.
The manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng was detained by the Laos tourist police but no charges have been filed yet.
The investigation is still ongoing.
The US State Department acknowledged the ‘death of a US citizen in Vang Vieng, Laos,’ and is ‘closely monitoring the situation and providing consular assistance.’
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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