Five Western tourists have died and several others are hospitalized after participating in a drunken evening in a hostel in northwest Laos. Authorities suspect poisoning from methanol, a harmful alcohol sometimes included in alcohol served as drinks.
A very harmful but widely used alcohol. Methanol is suspected of having caused the death of five tourists, two Danes, an Australian, an American and a British woman who allegedly consumed it during an evening in the north-west of Laos on November 12, several media report. It was the governments of their respective countries who announced their deaths, without specifying the cause.
According to British and Australian media, a group of a dozen tourists fell ill after a night out in the town of Vang Vieng. Several were hospitalized in neighboring Thailand.
“Foreign media are reporting cases of accidental methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng,” writes the French embassy in Laos on its website, which “recommends the greatest caution to consumers of alcoholic products.”
Liver damage, neurological disorders…
Methanol, also called methyl alcohol, is a colorless alcohol usually used in the manufacture of antifreeze or windshield washer fluid, varnish or photocopier fluid. It is also used marginally as fuel or as fuel for small appliances.
Methanol is sometimes added to other alcohols to increase potency or reduce price, but it can cause blindness, liver damage and death. There is also talk of “neurological disorders (excitement, convulsion, paralysis, etc.)”, according to the National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS), a Social Security body responsible for preventing risks linked to work.
The INRS thus specifies that methanol is “toxic” by “inhalation”, by “skin contact” and “if swallowed”.
Six dead in Thailand in August
In their advice to travelers, the authorities of several Western countries, like France, warn their nationals of the risks of methanol poisoning when consuming alcohol in Laos.
The British Foreign Office reports “cases of death and serious illness caused by alcoholic drinks containing methanol”, mainly counterfeits of well-known brands of vodka or local spirits.
In August, six people died and around 20 were hospitalized in Thailand after drinking contraband alcohol containing methanol.
Vang Vieng, in Vientiane province in northwestern Laos, is popular among young people who enjoy backpacking trips and adventure sports. The city, once notorious for the bad behavior of young tourists at jungle parties, has recently revived its reputation as an ecotourism destination.
