Suspected Methanol Poisoning Deaths in Laos Party Town Prompt International Investigation

For Australian companions Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, this marked their inaugural major journey to explore the globe. Like numerous 19-year-olds, they were captivated by the allure of backpacking through South East Asia, a region renowned for its excellent cuisine, welcoming populace, and breathtaking scenery. Their football team coach, Nick Heath, stated they had “saved up enough money after school and university to have their overseas jaunt, as so many of our kids do,” adding, “And off they went.” On 12 November, they arrived in Vang Vieng, a riverside town situated in central Laos. The pair checked into the well-known Nana Backpacker Hostel, where guests frequently receive a complimentary shot upon arrival. Days later, both were on life support in hospitals located in Thailand. Jones’s passing was announced on 21 November, followed by Bowles’s a day later. The death of a 28-year-old British woman, Simone White, was also reported on Thursday. These individuals are among six foreign tourists who have succumbed to what is believed to be a widespread incident of methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng. Two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, died the previous week, and an American man also passed away. Their identities have not been disclosed. The precise number of others who have fallen ill remains unknown, but a transnational police investigation into these deaths is currently in progress. A significant portion of the inquiry has focused on the hostel where some of the victims were reportedly staying. The young women had consumed free shots there before departing for the evening. The hostel manager has denied any responsibility, asserting that the identical drinks were served to at least 100 other guests that night who reported no adverse effects. The manager was taken in by police for questioning on Thursday. Mr. Heath, who spoke to the media on behalf of Ms. Bowles’s family, confirmed that methanol was the cause of the girls’ illness. However, he added, “no one really knows how and where it entered their system”. To gain insight into the events, the BBC interviewed backpackers and a diplomat familiar with the area. Our reporting revealed that the town where the travelers became ill continues to be a popular party destination, despite previous, somewhat successful, attempts to improve its image. Furthermore, while consulates and tourism operators are aware of the risk of methanol poisoning, travelers largely appear uninformed. Vang Vieng, a small town on the Nam Song river surrounded by limestone mountains and paddy fields, is celebrated for its natural beauty. It also holds a reputation as a party town, an image that Laotian officials have been striving to change over the past decade. Located a four-hour bus ride from the capital Vientiane, it has historically served as a stop on the Banana Pancake Trail backpacking route connecting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, before travelers proceed north to the ancient temples of Luang Prabang. In Vang Vieng, hostel bunks are advertised for less than €10 (£8) per night, and a bucket of beer can cost half that amount. Drugs such as marijuana and mushrooms are readily available and openly advertised at local cafes and diners. Throughout the early 2000s and 2010s, the town was renowned for intense partying and as a location for riding inflatables down the local river. However, following several tourist injuries or fatalities, efforts were initiated to enhance safety standards. “To combat the river tubing deaths they demolished a bunch of the riverside bars that were selling buckets of vodka to people floating by,” a Western diplomat in the region informed the BBC. Laos officials aimed to reposition the town as a center for eco-tourism, rather than solely a destination for young, intoxicated individuals. “And it worked,” they stated. “It’s actually changed a quite a lot in the past decade, they’ve cleaned it up, it’s way more modern than it used to be.” However, because of these changes: “I think it can be very easy for young travellers to miss that this is still a very poor country with lax regulations and safety standards.” The diplomat noted that methanol poisoning, which occurs when alcoholic beverages are contaminated with a toxic compound, is a well-known issue among consulates and tourism operators. Consulates frequently encounter cases of tourists who have fallen ill from substandard drinks, the diplomat observed. South East Asia is documented as the region with the highest incidence of methanol poisoning. Local producers of inexpensive alcohol often fail to adequately reduce the toxic levels of methanol generated during the production process. Thousands of incidents are recorded annually in the region, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Nevertheless, awareness among tourists regarding poisonous alcohol remains low. British backpacker Sarisha informed the BBC’s Newsbeat programme that people did not seem to consider the risks associated with free drinks during her recent stay at Nana Backpacker. She explained that, similar to most other hostels, happy hours were a daily feature at the venue, along with complimentary shots of local vodkas offered as a courtesy. “It’s a very party city,” she remarked. Tourists currently in the town are now implementing additional precautions following the distressing deaths. On Friday, Miika, 19, a Finnish backpacker staying at a hostel just a 10-minute walk from Nana Backpacker, told the BBC that he and his friends had arrived in town two days prior. They were now exclusively ordering bottled beers and reconsidering river tubing because shots were included. “Now because we know about this, we didn’t really want to go there,” he stated. British woman Natasha Moore, 22, informed the BBC that she canceled her booking for Nana Backpacker after learning about the fatalities. “It’s just so scary, I feel so overwhelmed… it feels like I’ve escaped death, almost like survivor’s guilt”, she expressed in a TikTok video warning other travelers. Her group arrived in the town two days after the poisoning, where “it was still kind of hush hush, nobody really knew too much about what was going on”. She noted that many travelers opted to bypass the town and mentioned seeing signs in the hostel advising caution with drinks. She stated she “can’t even count how many free drinks” she had consumed during her travels, but over five nights in Vang Vieng, she and her friends avoided all free drinks or spirits, consuming only bottled alcohol. “I feel so, so sad and upset for all the friends and family and the people still in hospital. It’s just so unfair, we were just trying to have a good time,” she said. “We’ve worked hard to save up to go travel, like it’s such a brave thing to do, and then something like that can happen.” Additional reporting by Gavin Butler, Amy Walker and Jack Gray Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.