Laos Hostel Employees Detained Amid Suspected Methanol Poisoning Deaths

Police in Laos have detained eight staff members of a backpacker hostel following the deaths of six tourists last week, which are suspected to be from methanol poisoning. According to local media, the detained individuals include workers and management from the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, where several of the deceased tourists had stayed. The exact number of other people who fell ill is currently unknown, and an investigation into these fatalities is ongoing. The owners of the hostel, which is now closed, have previously denied serving illicit alcohol. This is not the initial instance of police detaining employees from the hostel. Last week, the manager was among several individuals questioned by law enforcement. He had earlier informed the Associated Press news agency that 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were the sole hostel guests to become unwell after consuming complimentary shots before their evening outing. The two women passed away days afterward, following their admission to a hospital in nearby Thailand. Their deaths marked the first fatalities suspected to be linked to methanol, which is described as a toxic, flavourless, and colourless substance frequently mixed into illicit alcohol. Concurrently, two Danish women and a 57-year-old American man, also guests at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, died at around the same time. Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, the two young Danes, were discovered unconscious in their hostel bedroom on 13 November. Local media reported that this occurred on the same day the Australian women were hospitalized, having visited a city bar the previous night. They were transported to a hospital in Vientiane, the capital, but succumbed during the night. The medical team attributed their deaths to sudden heart failure. Also on 13 November, hostel employees observed that the American tourist, identified as James Louis Hutson, had not emerged from his room. Upon checking on him, he was discovered deceased on his bed, surrounded by several empty drinking glasses. Local media indicated that no bruises or wounds were present on his body. Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from London, also passed away, with the belief that she had consumed methanol during her stay in Vang Vieng. These tourist fatalities have drawn attention to the well-known backpacking destination and caused apprehension among travellers, particularly women, given that five of the six deceased were female. Governments, including those of New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, have issued advisories to their citizens regarding the consumption of spirits in Laos. Certain travellers in Vang Vieng are now avoiding the previously popular complimentary shots and alcohol buckets provided to tourists, informing the BBC of their safety concerns. Methanol poisoning is most common in Asia, predominantly impacting less affluent communities and regions characterized by inadequate food regulations and enforcement. On Tuesday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that an additional Australian, a dual national, might also have fallen ill due to methanol poisoning. Authorities have confirmed that a New Zealander, who had experienced illness from suspected methanol poisoning within the country, has since gone back home.