Eight hostel staff detained in Laos over methanol poisoning deaths

The manager and seven staff of a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained after six tourists died from suspected methanol poisoning.

Local media said that police brought in the 34-year-old manager of the Nana backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng and seven employees for interrogation.

The manager, Duong Duc Toan, has denied culpability as speculation around the hostel — where many of the victims stayed — has risen further.

The arrests come after two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians died after a night out on 12 November.

Australian officials released a statement saying they believed the death of one woman was due to her drinking alcohol tainted with methanol, an ingredient sometimes added as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but which can cause severe poisoning.

Other authorities haven’t confirmed that the deaths were due to methanol poisoning, but the UK, New Zealand and Australia have warned their citizens to be careful of consuming alcohol whilst in Laos.

Hostel closes

News of the suspected alcohol poisoning began trickling out about a week after the two Australian women fell ill on 13 November.

The manager of the Nana backpacker hostel, who has since been detained, said on Tuesday that the two Australian women failed to check out as planned and that the hostel arranged transport for them to the hospital.

The hostel manager said that over 100 guests were offered shots of Lao vodka at the hostel, and many experienced no problems.

He added that the victims had left the hospital for a night out shortly afterwards and returned early in the morning.

The two young Danish women were found unconscious in their hostel bedroom on 13 November before being sent to hospital, where they later died, according to local media.

Hostel staff noticed an American tourist, identified as James Louis Hutson, hadn’t come out of his bedroom before finding him dead on the bed.

On Saturday, the governor of Laos said that the hostel had been closed for investigation, adding that those responsible for the deaths would be charged.