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World News

American among five tourists dead after drinking spiked alcohol in Laos

By
Alex Oliveira
Published Nov. 21, 2024, 4:37 p.m. ET

A night of downing cocktails at a Laotian hostel has left an American tourist and four others dead from what authorities said was methanol-tainted booze. 

Victims include two Danish women in their twenties, 28-year-old British lawyer Simone White, and 19-year-old Australian student Bianca Jones, according to the Times.

The identity of the American has not been revealed, but the US State Department has confirmed the death.

Holly Bowles, 19, remains in critical condition, while Bianca Jones, 19, and 28-year-old Simone White have died
Holly Bowles, 19, remains in critical condition, while Bianca Jones, 19, and 28-year-old Simone White have died Facebook

Another Australian woman — 19-year-old Holly Bowles, a classmate of Jones’ — remains on life support, while at least six more are also in the hospital.

Most of the victims were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vien, where they are known to have downed shots before hitting the town on the night of November 12.

Methanol is sometimes illicitly used as a cheap substitute for real ethanol — the compound found in typical alcoholic beverages — with the practice sometimes occurring in places like southeast Asia, where taxes on ethanol are higher.

As little as .85 ounces can be fatal, and lead to blindness, seizures, and asphyxiation.

In the case of Jones, she died of “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system,” according to officials at the Thai hospital where she and the other victims were taken.

Bars and hotels across Laos have been asked to stop vending alcohol while police investigate the incident
Bars and hotels across Laos have been asked to stop vending alcohol while police investigate the incident AP

The hostel where many of the victims were staying had given out free shots of vodka to over 100 guests the night of the poisoning — but the manager insists investigators cleared the safety of those spirits.

“The police in Vang Vieng and [the capital] Vientiane already came to the hostel to check, the shop [where] we buy the vodka, check the shop [where] we buy the whiskey,” manager Duong Duc Toan said.

“We don’t do anything wrong, for sure. I really take care of all of the customers [who] stay with our hotel and our hostel,” he said, adding that police were advising every hotel and bar in the town to stop serving alcohol.

Methanol poisonings have been known to kill dozens of people at at time.

In 2020, 44 people died in Iran after they reportedly thought guzzling the phony booze would keep them safe from Covid-19.

And in a 2019 Costa Rica incident, at least 25 died after drinking across 10 different establishments.