Warning against drinking local 'Tiger' vodka and whiskey after tourist deaths in Laos, Australia - Boston News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) — Australia has warned travelers not to drink drinks produced by a distillery in Laos following the deaths of six foreign tourists from a suspected country. methanol Poisoning in a Southeast Asian country.

The updated travel advice issued on Friday said there were “serious safety concerns” about Laos’ Tiger brand vodka and whiskey following a mass poisoning in the northern Laotian town earlier this month. Vang Vienga popular backpacker destination.

“Due to concerns that Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey pose health risks, Lao authorities have issued an order banning the sale and consumption of these products,” Australia said in the advisory.

“Be especially alert to the potential risks of alcoholic beverages, including cocktails.”

No news of Laos’ apparent ban on Tiger-brand drinks has appeared in the country’s English-language state media. Warnings about the potentially fatal consequences of drinking contaminated alcohol following the poisonings came not from Laos authorities but from foreign governments to their citizens.

Laos, an opaque communist state, tightly controls its media and remained silent on the deaths for more than a week before making its first statement. More than two weeks later, details remain scant about the tourists’ deaths and how they fell ill (including how widespread the poisonings were), frustrating families and travel companions who are trying to piece together what happened in Vang Vieng .

Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19 years old; Danish citizens Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman (20) and Frela Vennervald Sorensen (21); US citizen James Louis Hutson, 57; and British lawyer Simone White, 28, died of suspected methanol poisoning after drinking alcohol in Vang Vieng.

Earlier this week, eight Vietnamese staff Part of the backpacker hostel where at least five victims were staying was detained by local authorities, according to the state-run Laotian Times newspaper.

Part of the investigation focused on reports that tourists were offered free drinks at the Nana Backpacker Hostel.

The hostel’s manager and owner, who is also Vietnamese, were previously detained by the police for questioning. According to the Associated Press. The manager had previously said two Australian women had joined more than 100 guests for free drinks at the hostel before leaving for a night out, but denied other guests had reported any problems. AP reported.

With little information from Laos authorities, some travelers in Wang Vieng and friends of the dead took it upon themselves to investigate. One person, who asked not to be named, told CNN they conducted an independent survey of passengers who became ill or were hospitalized after suspected methanol poisoning.

Many of the respondents stated that they had become ill after drinking in many bars or hostels in the city.

CNN cannot independently verify these reports or survey results.

Laos Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey are a brand of locally produced spirits that are inexpensive to purchase and are often used in mixed drinks and cocktails. The brand does not appear to have a public website, and the vodka label states that it is “distilled, blended and bottled in Laos.”

Methanol is an alcohol chemical commonly used in industrial solvents, cleaning products, and fuel, but it can be added to alcoholic beverages accidentally through traditional brewing methods or intentionally to increase the volume of alcoholic beverages—often for profit.

While very small amounts of methanol can cause blindness, nausea, and vomiting, drinking as little as 30 milliliters (1 ounce) of methanol can be fatal.

Without treatment, mortality rates are reportedly between 20% and 40%, depending on the concentration of methanol and the amount ingested, according to Médecins Sans Frontières, a medical charity that tracks methanol poisoning cases worldwide.

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