A new Australian tourist, whose identity is unknown, has fallen ill in Laos after alleged poisoning from adulterated alcohol containing methanol, several media outlets, including The Guardian and ABC, report. This person is in stable condition, according to these media reports.
Six tourists died after being victims, according to British and Australian media, of poisoning from adulterated alcohol after a stay in Vang Vieng, Laos, on November 12.
Two other Australian victims
The victims are two Danes, one Englishwoman, one American and two Australians, their respective governments said. The latest death is that of Holly Bowles, a 19-year-old Australian girl, who occurred on Friday in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, in the presence of her family, as reported by the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong.
“All Australians will be heartbroken to learn of the tragic death of Holly Bowles” in a hospital in Bangkok, in neighboring Thailand, said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
“Holly had just lost her best friend Bianca Jones yesterday. All Australians think about these two families,” he added. Canberra demanded from Laos a “full and transparent” investigation into the circumstances of these two deaths.
The British Foreign Office simply said that it “supports the family of a British woman who died in Laos.” The Danish and American governments have not specified the cause of death of their citizens.
Eight people arrested
The Laotian government said in a statement on Saturday that it was “deeply saddened by the death of the foreign tourists”, expressing its “sincere solidarity” and offering its “condolences to the families of the deceased.” He said an investigation was underway “to determine the causes of the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Eight men who were staff at the youth hostel where the two Australians were staying were arrested, Laos police told ABC on Tuesday.
The two Australians began feeling unwell at the Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng where they were staying, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The two women had consumed alcohol in the establishment’s bar before leaving, this Australian newspaper indicated.
toxic alcohol
According to Australian media, on November 13, shelter staff, alerted because they had not left as planned, found them in their room and immediately transported them to the hospital. Since communist Laos opened to tourism, Vang Vieng has been a popular city for backpackers visiting Southeast Asia.
Methanol, a toxic alcohol used in industry and household products, is used in particular to make antifreeze or windshield washer fluid, varnish or photocopier fluid. It can be added to other alcohols to increase potency or cost less. Ingestion can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
British and Australian authorities also warn their citizens about the risks of methanol poisoning in their travel recommendations to Laos. In Thailand, at least six people died and more than 20 were hospitalized in August after consuming alcohol adulterated with methanol.
Source: BFM TV
