2 Indians Among 12 Arrested After Methanol-Laced Alcohol Poisoning Kills 6 Tourists In Laos

Twelve individuals, including 2 Indians, were arrested in Laos after a methanol poisoning incident that killed 6 tourists. The factory producing Tiger Vodka and Whiskey was shut down and its owner arrested.

Representational Image | Six people staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel died after spending an evening at Nana’s Bar and Jaidee Bar in Vang Vieng, a tourist hotspot 129 km north of Vientiane, Laos.

Source : freepik AI

Authorities in Laos have arrested 12 individuals, including two Indian nationals, following a methanol poisoning incident that claimed the lives of six foreign tourists, prompting a nationwide ban on Tiger-branded spirits. The arrests include the owner of a factory near Vientiane, which produced Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey.

Eight employees of Nana Backpackers Hostel, where some of the victims stayed, have also been detained, including two Indian men aged 24 and 30, and a 35-year-old Filipino woman, UK's GB News reported. The factory has been shut down, and its operations will remain suspended until safety standards are met, according to the Ministry of Health's Department of Food and Drugs in Laos.

The victims included two Australian teenagers, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, Danish nationals Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, 57-year-old American James Louis Hutson, and British lawyer Simone White, 28.  

The Australian teens fell ill after spending an evening at Nana’s Bar and Jaidee Bar in Vang Vieng, a tourist hotspot 129 km north of Vientiane. They were airlifted to hospitals in Thailand but succumbed to poisoning—Bowles on 21 November after days in intensive care, and Jones a day earlier.  

Laos Methanol Poisoning: Travellers Cautioned About Drinks In Reviews, Hostel Dismissed Them As 'Slander'

The rundown factory, where Tiger Whisky packaging was discovered amid remnants of a fire, now lies abandoned with empty bottles covered by plastic drapes, according to GB News's report. 

No charges have been filed yet against those arrested, but the hostel has faced backlash for ignoring earlier warnings. Travellers had posted Google reviews cautioning others about methanol-laced drinks, but the hostel dismissed them as "slander" before the posts were removed.  

The bodies of Jones and Bowles were flown back to Melbourne on 26 November. Mark Jones, father of Bianca, expressed his grief and demanded accountability. "I was happy to hear that there’s been some movement over in Laos. I will continue to urge our government to pursue whoever was responsible. We cannot have our girls passing and this continuing to happen," he said, as quoted by the report.  

Australia’s SmartTraveller platform has updated its travel advisory for Laos, warning citizens to avoid consuming locally produced alcoholic beverages due to "serious safety concerns."