Eleven people are still in hospital and six people have died after drinking cocktails in the tourist resort of Vang Vieng in Laos on November 11. Among the dead are two 19-year-old Australian women and two 20-year-old Danish women.
– The investigations are not complete, but methanol poisoning is suspected. Two of the girls were treated in hospitals in Thailand and, according to Doctors Without Borders, samples have been sent that point to methanol poisoning, says Tilde Lewin.
Popular tourist spot
The owners of the hostel Nana Backpacker Hostel, where several of the affected people lived and drank drinks before they became ill, have been arrested and a police investigation into what happened is ongoing.
Vang Vieng is located by a beautiful river in the middle of the rainforest. Tourism is focused on adventure sports and partying. But there is a story, it is not the first time methanol poisoning has been reported from the locality, says Tilde Lewin.
– This is a known phenomenon in South and Southeast Asia. Doctors Without Borders reports at least 300 deaths in the past twelve months alone.
Travel advice for Laos updated
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has updated their travel advice for Laos with a warning about methanol poisoning: “Be careful about drinking alcohol, especially cocktails and drinks containing spirits that may have been adulterated with harmful substances.”
It is not known how intentional the poisonings are, says Tilde Lewin.
– It is not known whether people have poisoned the drinks with methanol to make them stronger, which is extremely dangerous because even small amounts of methanol can be fatal. Or if it has become methanol during alcohol production at home.