Eight staff members at a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained by local authorities during an investigation into the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, according to Southeast Asian state media.
The deaths of two Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American man and two Danish women, as well as reports of other infections, prompted warnings from Western countries last week that consuming alcohol contaminated in Laos could have deadly consequences.
The employees of Nana Backpacker Hostel in the northern town of Vang Vieng, all Vietnamese nationals aged between 23 and 44, were arrested by local police on Monday, state newspaper Lao Times reported.
Part of the investigation focuses on reports that free alcohol was provided to tourists at the hostel where at least five of the dead were staying.
The hostel’s manager and owner, also Vietnamese, had previously been detained for questioning by police, according to the Associated Press. According to the Associated Press, a manager previously said the two Australian women enjoyed free shots with more than 100 guests at the hostel before setting off on a night out, but denied any problems were reported by other guests.
Although the victims’ respective governments have confirmed their nationality and death, many details of the alleged mass poisoning remain unclear, frustrating families and companions trying to piece together what happened in Vang Vieng.
Laos, an opaque communist state that tightly controls the media, did not issue an official statement on the scandal until more than a week after the first death, and it remains unclear how widespread the poisonings were. On Tuesday, CNN affiliate Nine News reported that the third Australian who became ill was recovering in a stable condition in hospital.
A statement from Laos’ state news agency (KPL) on Friday said “consumption of contaminated alcoholic beverages” was the suspected cause of death. But Laotian authorities have given no indication of where or how the contaminated alcohol entered the supply chain.
With little information available from Laotian authorities, some Vang Vieng tourists and friends of the deceased took it upon themselves to investigate. A person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity, told CNN that they also conducted an independent investigation of travelers who became ill or were hospitalized due to suspected methanol poisoning. Many respondents said they felt sick after drinking at multiple bars and hostels around the city.
CNN cannot independently verify these reports or findings.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family is suffering from the sudden loss of a loved one.
The bodies of 19-year-old best friends Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were returned to Australia on Tuesday night. Speaking to reporters at Melbourne Airport, the fathers thanked supporters and praised the Australian government’s efforts, Nine News reported.
But Mark Jones said his family still had no answers as to how his daughter died, Nine News reported.
“We want to grieve. We really miss our daughters,” Jones said after news of the arrest in Vang Vieng broke. “I was happy to hear that there was some movement in Laos…I will continue to appeal to the Lao government to continue to track down whoever it is.”
Methanol is an alcoholic chemical commonly used in industrial solvents, cleaning products, and fuels, but it can be added to alcoholic beverages either inadvertently through traditional brewing methods or intentionally, usually in pursuit of profit.
In recent decades, Vang Vieng had gained a notorious reputation as a hedonistic party center where tourists had easy access to cheap alcohol and illegal drugs.
But in 2012, the government ordered a crackdown after a series of fatal accidents linked to poor safety standards and cultural excess along the city’s river, reinventing Vang Vieng as an eco-paradise and adventure tourism hub.
