Tourist Deaths in Laos Are Part of a Bigger Problem

A second Australian teenager has died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos, bringing the death toll to six in what is believed to be a mass poisoning. The deaths have drawn attention to the longstanding problem of tainted alcohol in Southeast Asia, where despite warnings from governments, many tourists are unaware of the dangers, the BBC reports. The six young people, including an American man, a British woman, and two Danish women, are all believed to have consumed tainted alcohol in Vang Vieng, long known as a party town for backpackers.

• Methanol. Methanol, a toxic form of alcohol used in products like antifreeze, is colorless and flavorless, with a smell similar to the kind of alcohol found in alcoholic drinks, making it hard to detect. Unscrupulous bars have been known to add it to mixed drinks to save money on spirits like vodka and give drinks more "kick," the AP reports. Even as little as half a shot can be lethal, but it takes up to 24 hours for symptoms like vomiting and abdominal pain to appear. Methanol is "broken down by the body into chemical compounds that attack the organs," per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

• A big problem in Asia. Asia has the world's highest prevalence of methanol poisoning, which occurs mostly in poorer countries like Indonesia, where bootleg alcohol is common. In Laos, one of Asia's poorest countries, the problem "arises from alcohol suppliers exploiting an environment where there is low law enforcement and almost no regulation in food and hospitality industries," per the BBC.
• Poisonings are frequently reported. A Western diplomat in the region tells the BBC that methanol poisonings are frequently reported to embassies and consulates. The diplomat says it's not clear where methanol enters the supply chain. "I don't think it's nefarious bar owners going out of their way to poison tourists—that's not good for them or their industry either," the diplomat says. "It's more about the production side—there being low education, low regulation, people cutting corners."
• Awareness. Countries including the US have issued alerts urging citizens to beware of tainted drinks in Laos, CNN reports. In an alert issued Friday, the US Embassy in Vientiane said: "Please be alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning, especially when consuming spirit-based alcoholic drinks." It said people should "purchase alcoholic beverages and drinks from licensed liquor stores, bars, and hotels," avoid "homemade alcoholic drinks," and "check liquor bottles for signs of tampering or counterfeiting."
• Arrests. An officer at Vang Vieng's Tourism Police office told the AP on Friday that "a number of people" have been detained. The owner of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the two Australian 19-year-olds were staying, is among them. Before his arrest, he told the AP that the women had free shots of Laotian vodka with other guests before a night out on the town.

(More methanol stories.)