Eight hostel workers arrested over poisoned alcohol deaths of six tourists

Laos police have arrested eight people in relation to the mass methanol poisoning which left six tourists dead and ten others seriously ill.

The group consumed homemade alcohol in the Vang Vieng, a former farming town that morphed into a backpacker’s party paradise more than 20 years ago, which had methanol in it.

Now, the head of security forces in the Vang Vien district Phut Buathong Boriban said eight staff members from NANA Backpackers Hostel, where the victims were staying, have been arrested.

No charges have yet been made.

The guests were reportedly given free shots at the hostel bar on November 11 before they fell ill.

Methanol is often sold to tourists as legitimate drinks, but just 4ml of methanol can cause blindness. A 30ml measure – the size of a UK shot – can be lethal.

British lawyer Simone White, from Kent, was backpacking through the country and staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel and bar when she became ill after taking the shot.

The 28-year-old lawyer was reportedly recovering from the poisoning but was confirmed to have later died.

Two Danish women in their 20s and a 56-year-old American man have also died after drinking the shots.

Dr Yaher, from the district hospital in Vang Vieng, was the first medical professional to treat one of the victims, Holly Bowles, 19.

He told the Times: ‘She was confused and she was sleepy. We asked her what she had eaten or drunk, but she didn’t know what had happened.’ 

Dr Yaher thought she may have eaten too many cannabis-infused gummies that are common among tourists on the popular ‘banana pancake trail’ that they were taking. After just 30 minutes she suffered a seizure and went into a coma, he said.

One woman who became ill after drinking ethanol at the Laos hostel recalled her ordeal, saying she became incredibly ill after consuming the drink, experiencing temporary blindness, vomiting and struggling to breathe.

‘I just thought I was hungover, I spent the day going between my room and the toilet, just vomiting,’ she told The Herald Sun.

‘I had my eyes closed when I was walking to the toilet because I couldn’t see. I called my boyfriend and he said “please get some help, go to the hospital”.’

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