Investigation underway over suspected methanol poisoning in Vangvieng

Law enforcement officers are carrying out a thorough investigation into suspected tainted drinks that reportedly killed six foreign nationals holidaying in Vangvieng, a popular tourist hotspot in Vientiane province, central Laos. 
The victims have been identified as Ms Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Ms Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, from Denmark; Mr James Louis Hutson, 57, from the USA; British national Simone White, 28; and Australians Bianca Jones, 19, and Holly Bowles, 19. 
They are believed to have consumed drinks suspected of containing methanol, a deadly substance often found in bootleg alcohol. 
Details surrounding the tragedies, which first emerged on November 13, are being gathered. 
A public announcement about the tourists’ tragic deaths, which have drawn worldwide attention, is expected soon, Lao authorities said. 
Action to investigate the deaths began shortly after the first case happened, a source in Vientiane province with knowledge of the situation told the Vientiane Times.   
“Operators of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the victims were staying, have been detained for questioning,” he said.
The guesthouse has remained closed since November 14, a day after the first tragedy was reported.
A report issued on Friday by the Police Immigration Department suggested that the two Danish women entered Laos on November 7 through the Nam Phao-Cau Treo Border crossing between the Vietnamese city of Dong Ha and Lak Sao in Laos. They then went to Vangvieng where they stayed at the hostel. 
On November 12, the two women went to a bar where they drank alcoholic beverages and returned to the hostel at around midnight. The next day they remained in their room until 6pm when staff went to check on them and found them lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. They were taken to Vangvieng Hospital, where they were discovered to be in a coma and put on life support. As the district hospital was unable to treat them any further, the young women were rushed to the 103 Hospital in Vientiane, but at 3:30am the following day, doctors pronounced them dead of heart failure. 
Another of the victims, American James Louis Hutson, entered Laos on July 23 and went to Vangvieng where he checked in at the Nana Backpacker Hostel on October 20. On November 13, staff realised he had not left his room all day and entered his room at 9:10pm, where they found him unconscious. He was taken to the district hospital and police were summoned to inspect his room, where four empty bottles of beer and two empty bottles of vodka were found. 
In addition to these deaths, foreign media reports suggest that 12 other foreign tourists were hospitalised, including two Australian nationals who were staying at the same guesthouse and have since died.
British national Simone White, and Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were confirmed dead after being treated in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. 
Lao authorities are conducting extensive enquiries to establish the cause of the tragedies and will announce their findings when the investigation is complete.On Friday, the Tourism Business Management Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Department of Information, Culture and Tourism in Vientiane province, and police in charge of tourism held a meeting in Vangvieng.
On Saturday (November 23), a delegation from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism including media personnel was scheduled to go to Vangvieng to investigate the situation and report on developments. 
 
 
 
 

By  Times Reporters
 (Latest Update November 22, 2024)