The latest victim was a 19-year-old woman from Australia, the country’s foreign minister Penny Wong confirms. The 19-year-old’s friend who is the same age has also died.
Thus, six people have died after the suspected methanol poisoning, which is believed to have occurred when guests drank alcoholic beverages at a hostel in the tourist town of Vang Vieng in Laos.
Citizen from Denmark
Among the deceased are also citizens from Denmark, Great Britain and the United States.
Several countries have urged citizens of the country to be careful with what they drink.
“Be careful about drinking alcohol, especially cocktails and drinks that contain spirits that may have been adulterated with harmful substances,” the Swedish embassy wrote on Thursday.
It is impossible to see, taste or feel any difference between ordinary potable alcohol in the form of ethanol and the dangerous methanol. But not everyone understands the dangers, so in Asia, for example, it is not entirely unusual for tragedies to occur in connection with the use of cheap methanol for drinks.