Laos: How little known tourist haunt turned into death trap after five died from methanol poisoning

Laos sat quietly off to the side of mainstream South East Asian tourist routes, until recently.

Backpackers and culture tourists have increasingly been drawn to this little country, as a much quieter alternative to Thailand.

Its low-rise capital, Vientiane, blends Asian heritage architecture with French colonial keepsakes. It still has many dirt streets. But “party town” is Vang Vieng, about 130km north of Vientiane.

Young travellers joke that “Vang Vieng is Lao for Vodka Vodka”.

The increasing tide of backpackers and 20-something partiers has, unsurprisingly, brought drink and drug-related issues.

Now six tourists are dead from what is suspected to be methanol poisoning from tainted drinks and the owner of a backpacker hostel alleged to have sold them has reportedly been detained by police.

Australians Bianca Jones and her best friend Holly Bowles, both 19, are among the dead. A 28-year-old British lawyer, Simone White, a US man and two Danish nationals have also died.

Ms Bowles’ family said on Friday night Holly was living her best life travelling through South East Asia meeting new friends and enjoying incredible experiences.

“It is with broken hearts and we are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,” the family said in a statement.

“We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly bought so much joy and happiness to so many people.”

Ms Jones and Ms Bowles, from Beaumaris in Melbourne’s south-east, had been holidaying in Laos when they became ill along with a dozen other tourists in Vang Vieng last week. They had planned to stay at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in the townand drank at the venue before reportedly going to Jaidee Bar on November 11.

Hostel manager Duong Duc Toan said the Australian women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality. They didn’t leave their dorm room for 24 hours and reported feeling unwell on November 13, before being taken to separate hospitals in Bangkok.

In countries with high alcohol taxes, methanol is sometimes mixed into drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol. However, methanol is produced as a petrol additive and industrial solvent used in paint strippers and insecticides. Drinking even 25ml can be fatal.

Thai authorities confirmed on Thursday Ms Jones had died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system”.

It was a similar prognosis for Ms White, who on Friday was confirmed as the fifth victim of the tainted alcohol episode.

A police official told the Daily Mail: “The physician who examined her said the cause of the death was a methanol poisoning from fake liquor. The amount of methanol in her body was high, leading to swelling of the brain.”

Ms White’s friend and fellow Briton, Bethany Clarke, said that after having the shots she was “very fatigued and then fainted, then just felt nauseous and then my liver started to shut down”.

Mr Toan denied adulterating the alcohol, saying he had bought it from a certified distributor.

“Right now the police (are telling) every hostel and hotel and bar to stop selling drinks in Vang Vieng,” he said.

However, the ABC confirmed late on Friday afternoon that the owner of the hostel had been detained for questioning by police.

“Don’t plan on doing a lot after a night here because you will be in a state the next day after a few items off the special menu,” one review said.

The methanol crisis comes the same year that Laos has begun moving into mainstream tourism.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone announced on November 18 that the little country pressed between Thailand and Vietnam — and with increasing influence from China, to its north — will have five million tourists visit this year. They will be worth more than $1.5 billion in revenue to the country.

He credited the fact that the number of arrivals will bust the country’s target by 27 per cent to both its Visit Laos Year 2024 campaign and the Laos-China Railway, which now connects favourite tourist spots such as Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Oudomxay.

The train is popular with backpackers, who stop off in Vang Vieng to party and enjoy action activities like hot air ballooning, ziplining, rafting and river tubing. But now, there is an undercurrent of fear.

The Federal Government’s Smartraveller changed its advice for Laos on November 19. While it advises to exercise normal safety precautions in Laos overall, it recommends higher levels of alert in some areas: “Be alert to the potential risks particularly with spirit-based drinks including cocktails.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said drink-spiking and methanol poisoning were “far too common in many parts of the world”.

“At this time I would say to parents, to young people, please have a conversation about risks, please inform yourselves, please let’s work together to ensure this tragedy does not happen again,” she said.

With Reuters and AP