Shadow cast over Laos backpacker town after six die from mass methanol poisoning

ITV News Asia Correspondent reports from Vang Vieng, Laos, where authorities have promised to investigate the deaths of six people believed to be the victims of mass methanol poisoning

With people dancing on the tables in one bar and the main street buzzing with music, it looked like the party spirit wasn’t lost in Vang Vieng on Saturday night.

But it was mostly beer fuelling the festivities, for many cocktails and shots were off the menu after six deaths from suspected methanol poisoning.

A British man and his American friend told us they’d be sticking to bottled beer and maybe not drinking as much as they might have; given the shocking news they had heard on their way to Vang Vieng.

Several people we spoke to told us the same story, a majority had only arrived in the town that day, or the past few days.

When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, we saw government officials outside the Nana Backpackers Hostel where many of the poisoning victims were staying.

It’s claimed local vodka was served to a large group of partygoers, which had been doctored at some stage with methanol.

The Laos government finally issued a statement today, promising to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. Up until now, we had heard very little from the authorities.

Twenty-eight-year-old Simone White from Greater London and two teenage friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles from Australia are all believed to have died from methanol poisoning.

Two young Danish women were taken to a military hospital in Vientiane but didn’t survive and an American man in his fifties is thought to have been one of the first victims.

At least a dozen people were hospitalised. We visited the Kasemrad private hospital in the capital where most of the British patients were taken.

We’ve learned those treated arrived in various states of consciousness and doctors had to work quickly to try to flush the methanol out of their bloodstream before they went into organ failure, which is what happens when it really gets a hold of your system.

One British girl said the staff there saved her life. Lucy Davison posted on TikTok to share what she said were the worst days of her life.

She described first feeling extremely tired, then violently sick, then her vision started to go.

It was her boyfriend who took her to the hospital in Vientiane. He felt unwell but not as sick as her, he also tested positive for traces of methanol in his blood.

In her video Lucy said she did not want to paint Laos or Vang Vieng in a bad light, she wanted to share her story as a warning to others.

She said she’d been with a big group of around ten people, and they were sharing a bottle of local Laos Vodka.

The six deaths have come at the start of the busiest tourist time of year in Vang Vieng.

As the sun set behind the dramatic mountain landscape on Saturday the river was full of kayaks and the skies were dotted with colourful hot air balloons.

At the Full Moon bar in town the manager ‘Max’ told me it’s not true they have been told to stop serving spirits, he had the Lao Vodka on display, but says he only serves international brands.

He said he was worried business in the town, nothing like this has ever happened before.

His message for visitors was to not accept any alcohol where they haven’t seen the bottle or know it’s from a reputable source.

As we were leaving the night market another group of backpackers arrived to enjoy the adventure in Vang Vieng, which for six fellow travellers was so tragically brought to an end.

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