Eight arrested in Laos over suspected mass methanol poisoning

Police in Laos have arrested eight people over a suspected mass methanol poisoning that killed six people earlier this month.

A British woman, two Australian teenagers, an American and two Danes died last week after drinking tainted alcohol at the NANA Backpackers Hostel in the popular backpacker town of Vang Vieng.

Simone White, 28, a lawyer who lived in Orpington, Kent, was named as one of the victims by the Foreign Office.

Eight men – aged between 28 and 44 years old – have now been detained are remain in custody.

Among the arrested is hostel manager, Mr Yeungvanhoun, 34, who previously denied any wrongdoing.

Referencing the two Australian women – Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles – who were among the dead, he told the Associated Press that staff were told by other guests that two women were unwell after they failed to check-out as planned. The hostel arranged transport to a hospital for them.

Mr Yeungvanhoun added that two days before check-out, the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality.

He said no other guest reported any issues, adding that the women had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning.

Mr Yeungvanhoun told Australian Broadcaster ABC: “I really take care of all of the customers [who] stay with our hotel and our hostel.”

The other men have been named by police as:

Mr Hngieng Manhoung, 38
Mr Bouyvandat, 35
Mr Pharm Doungjin, 42
Mr Jikkouk Toun, 23
Mr Yeungduktun, 47
Mr Hngiengsuieng, 28
Mr Kuang Chung, 44

Details have been murky over the number of tourists affected and the possible source of the methanol-laced drinks.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death.

It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled home-brewed alcohol.

The Laotian government officially acknowledged the mass poisoning on Saturday and offered its condolences to the families of the victims.

In a short statement released to the media, the Lao government said it was “profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists”.

In added: “The Government of the Lao PDR has been conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law.”