Six foreign tourists die due to poisoning with adulterated liquor in Laos. international

Six foreign tourists have died and at least two are hospitalized in Laos after allegedly consuming alcoholic beverages adulterated with methanol. Two Australian teenagers, a young British woman, two Danes and an American recently died in a mass poisoning in Vang Vieng, a picturesque town two hours by car from the capital Vientiane, which for decades has Has been a popular city. Destination among young travelers traveling to and from Southeast Asia. Police are investigating the incident, with the total number of people affected currently unknown.

Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on Friday afternoon confirmed the death of Holly Bowles, a second drunken Australian teen, after drinking an allegedly contaminated cocktail. Her death came a day after the death of Bianca Jones, a friend with whom she had traveled to Laos. Both of them were 19 years old.

The two Australians fell ill on 12 November after a night of partying in Vang Vieng. The staff at the hostel where he was staying found him resting in his room 24 hours later after not checking out on time. According to details from the Associated Press (AP), both were immediately transferred to a hospital in Laos, but when their condition worsened, an emergency evacuation was arranged to neighboring Thailand, where they were admitted to various hospitals. Went. Australian television network ABC, citing Thai authorities, reported that the cause of the deaths was high levels of methanol concentrations in the blood.

Laotian police this Friday arrested the manager and owner of Nana Hostel, where Jones and Bowles stayed. A day earlier, the hostel manager told the AP agency that, on the night of the alleged poisoning, the hostel had invited a hundred guests to drink local vodka and the two friends were among that group. According to their version of events, the two later went to another bar. The manager of Nana Hostel said no other visitors suffered health problems.

In statements collected by the ABC this week, the owner of Nana Hostel assured that authorities had already reviewed all drinks sold on his premises. “All our wine is safe. “Nothing like this has ever happened in eight years,” he said. An agent with the Vang Vieng tourist police told the AP that there are “several detainees” related to the case, but at this time, no charges have been filed.

On Thursday night, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the death of a 28-year-old British tourist in Laos from methanol poisoning. A few hours earlier, the United States Department of State announced that an American citizen had died in Vang Vieng and that it was up to local authorities to determine the cause of death. For their part, Danish authorities have made public that two Danish girls, aged 19 and 20, died in the Asian nation last week. London, Washington and Copenhagen have not disclosed as much information as Canberra.

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry informed local media this Thursday that one of its citizens has also fallen ill in Laos and that it may be methanol poisoning. The Netherlands Foreign Ministry also warned that a Dutch tourist had been taken to hospital but was in stable condition. The total number of patients poisoned is unknown.

use extreme caution

Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada have issued travel warnings for their citizens, and called for extreme caution when consuming alcoholic beverages in Laos, “especially cocktails and spirits. Beverages that “may be adulterated with harmful substances.” In any case, it is recommended that they be purchased from “bars, hotels and liquor stores that have a license”, “avoid home-made drinks” and “check the bottle for signs of counterfeit or tampering. , like bad labels.” Quality or spelling mistakes.

Unlike ethanol (one of the main components of spirits), methanol is not suitable for human consumption. Nevertheless, some manufacturers of bootleg liquor add it as a cheap solution to increase the alcohol level in the product. The initial symptoms of methanol poisoning are drowsiness and dizziness, which can progress to headache and stomach pain, and in severe cases, seizures, permanent blindness, cardiorespiratory arrest, and even death.

Thousands of people suffer from methanol poisoning every year around the world. Most cases reported in Asia occur after consumption of banned substances or home-made alcohol. In June, 57 people died from this type of poisoning in India, and in August, six people died in Thailand and about thirty were hospitalized.