Six tourists have died from poisoning in Laos in the town of Vang Vieng.
An Australian teenager he became the sixth foreign person to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoningwhile a growing number of countries have warned of the potentially fatal consequences of consuming tainted alcohol in the Southeast Asian country. A few days ago they passed away a British woman, another Australian teenager, an American and two Danes.
The latest victim of the poisoned drinks was a 19-year-old Australian girl, who was on life support in critical condition for several days in Thailand after being evacuated from Laos following a night out. Her friend Bianca Jones, also 19, was died Thursday. The two were on a tour of Southeast Asia.
Australian officials are pressing Lao authorities for a full and transparent investigation into what happened. Vang Vieng has been a must-see on the Southeast Asian route since the country’s communist rulers opened the country to tourism decades ago.
The drinks were served at Nana Backpackers Hostel during an evening of free drinks in exchange for good reviewswe read in the media. The manager of the hostel, popular among backpackers, has been detained for questioning, Laos tourist police told AFP.