Australia has warned travelers against drinking spirits made by a Laos distiller, following the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning in the Southeast Asian country.
The updated travel advice published Friday cited “serious safety concerns” over Laos’ Tiger-branded vodka and whisky in the wake of a mass poisoning earlier this month in the northern town of Vang Vieng, a popular backpacker destination.
“Lao authorities have issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to their concerns about these products being a health risk,” the Australian advisory said.
“Be alert to the potential risks particularly with spirit-based drinks including cocktails.”
No reports of Laos’ apparent ban on the Tiger-branded spirits have been published in the country’s English-language state media. Warnings about the potentially fatal consequences of drinking tainted alcohol following the poisonings have come from foreign governments to their own citizens, not from Laos authorities.
Laos, an opaque communist state, tightly controls its media and remained silent on the deaths for more than a week before issuing its first statement. More than two weeks later, details surrounding the tourists’ deaths and how they became ill – including how widespread the poisonings are – remain scant, frustrating families and fellow travelers trying to piece together what happened in Vang Vieng.
Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19; Danish nationals Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21; US citizen James Louis Hutson, 57; and British lawyer Simone White, 28, died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking alcohol in Vang Vieng.
Earlier this week, eight Vietnamese staff members of a backpacker hostel where at least five of the victims had stayed were detained by local authorities, according to the state-affiliated Laotian Times.
Part of the investigation has focused on reports the tourists were offered free shots of alcohol at the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
The hostel manager and owner, who are also Vietnamese, were previously detained for questioning by police, according to the Associated Press. The manager had earlier said the two Australian women joined more than 100 guests for free shots at the hostel before leaving for a night out, but he denied that other guests had reported any issue, AP reported.
Many respondents described getting sick after drinking at multiple bars or hostels around the town.
Laos Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky are a brand of locally produced spirits that are cheap to buy and often used in mixed drinks and cocktails. The brand does not appear to have a public website and the vodka label says it is “distilled, blended and bottled in Laos”.
Methanol is an alcohol chemical commonly used in industrial solvents, cleaning products and fuel, though it can be added to alcoholic drinks either inadvertently through traditional brewing methods or deliberately to boost the volume of alcoholic drinks – usually in the pursuit of profit.
Just small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, nausea and vomiting, while drinking as little as 30 milliliters (1 ounce) can be lethal.
If not treated, fatality rates are reported to be 20% to 40%, depending on the concentration of the methanol and the amount ingested, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders, which tracks cases of methanol poisoning globally.