The holidaymakers dying from killer cocktails: How at the least 10 travellers have died over 13 years after consuming poisonous alcohol whereas on trips-of-a-lifetime in southeast Asia

Holidaymakers on once-in-a-lifetime trips to southeast Asia risk being killed or left permanently disabled after inadvertently drinking liquor containing the deadly chemical methanol.

For years tourists from Australia, the UK and other western nations have been travelling through countries such as Laos, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, often unaware of the dangers of local alcohol industries.

It was today confirmed that six people have so far died after reportedly drinking methanol-laced shots in a popular backpacker town, Vang Vieng in Laos.

British lawyer Simone White, 28 and Australian 19-year-olds Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones all died after having ‘free shots laced with methanol’ at the Nana’s Backpacker Hostel in the town.

Two Danish women aged 19 and 20 and a 56-year-old US man have also died since the alleged mass poisoning on November 12. At least 11 others are said to remain in hospital.

A number of people employed by the hostel, including its manager Duong Duc Toan, have been detained over the deaths – but no charges have been filed.  

Cases of Westerners dying from methanol poisoning date back years, but little seems to have been done to tackle the problem.

Methanol typically becomes mixed in with normal alcohol – also known as ethanol – during the making of bootleg liquor, which is then sold in restaurants and bars because it is cheaper than imported alcohol. 

While some local liquor is clearly labelled as such, some families have lost loved ones who believed they were drinking legitimate alcohol imported from other countries. 

Experts say that poor countries along the Mekong River in particular are exploited by alcohol suppliers as there are low levels of law enforcement and little regulation in the hospitality industry.

The Foreign Office has recently issued guidance to Britons travelling to Laos, warning them against consuming replica alcohol brands that may contain hidden amounts of methanol – but for some this is too little, too late. 

British ceramicist Kirsty McKie is one visitor who died after consuming methanol in Bali.

The 38-year-old, who lived and worked in the Indonesian province, became ill the day after inadvertently drinking the deadly chemical in July 2022.

She was taken to hospital but despite treatment died on July 24, just two days after being exposed to the toxic drink. 

Ms McKie died after purchasing what appeared to be alcohol, a coroner said.

Coroner Alison Mutch urged the UK government to launch a publicity campaign about the dangers of cheap spirits in Indonesia and south-east Asia in a prevention of future deaths report.

Backpacker Cheznye Emmons, 23, was on holiday with her boyfriend in Indonesia when she drank gin mixed with methanol. 

The beautician, from Great Wakering, Essex, was on a six-month tour of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia with partner Joe Cook when the group they were travelling with bought a bottle of the spirit.

Some of the group fell ill after consuming the gin, but Ms Emmons developed blindness and convulsions before dying five days later.

Speaking after her inquest, her father Brenton Emmons said methanol was often mixed with spirits and wine in the areas where Cheznye had been travelling.

‘It’s very hard to tell the difference – sometimes there are bits floating in it, sometimes it might smell funny,’ he said.

‘This is being sold in shops, restaurants and bars – places where you might think it is safe.

‘But the message is really ‘stick to beer’ because otherwise you don’t know what risk you are taking.’

Roisin Burke, 21, a teacher from Co Kildare, Ireland, also died while on holiday in Indonesia.

Ms Burke drank a local spirit, Arak, before falling ill due to consuming a lethal dose of methanol.

The next morning she told friends she felt unwell and went back to bed, but she soon deteriorated and began crying out in pain before she was taken to hospital. 

She died two days after consuming the drink in Bali in 2011.

She travelled to the area while living in Jakarta, where she worked as an English teacher.  

Australian teenager Liam Davies was well aware of the risks of buying local brews in south-east Asia – but it didn’t save his life.

The 19-year-old was at a bar on the island of Gili Trawangan when he asked a bartender whether the bottle of Smirnoff on the shelf was genuine imported liquor.

When he was told it was, he even insisted the bartender open a new bottle of the ‘Smirnoff’ for him and his friends.

Unfortunately, although the bottles of Smirnoff were genuine their contents was not – they had been previously consumed and refilled with Arak that contained deadly methanol.

Mr Davies and one of his friends awoke the next morning with headaches, blurred vision and nausea – but thought they were just hungover.

They returned to the bar that night, and the next morning Mr Davies was found convulsing on the floor of their apartment.

The boys were rushed to hospital but Mr Davies was not diagnosed correctly – he died days later in Perth, surrounded by his family. 

After his death, his family became committed to educating as many young people as possible about the risks of consuming liquor abroad, and started the LIAM charity – Lifesaving Initiatives About Methanol.

There have been efforts in recent years to make more people aware of the risks of drinking alcohol in the region.

In November 2019, Australians Brianna Scott and Katie Linane, both 21 at the time, were in Bali when they unknowingly consumed methanol.

Just 24 hours later they were vomiting, had ‘the runs’ and were struggling to see.

Fortunately they were able to contact an organisation set up by Colin Ahearn called Just Don’t Drink Spirits In Bali.

He was able to diagnose them with methanol poisoning and sent a bottle of real vodka to their apartment, telling them to drink it.

Consuming ethanol can counteract the early stages of methanol poisoning – but anyone who believes they may be affected should still seek urgent medical attention.

Soon after, the pair began to recover and have fortunately been left with no ill-effects. 

Although methanol-spiked drinks are far more common in the south-east of Asia, it can also be a real danger closer to home.

Hannah Powell was left blind after drinking vodka containing methanol in a bar in Zante, Greece.

She had watched bartenders pour her drink out of a genuine Smirnoff bottle – but it had been filled with cheaper, bootlegged liquor thought to be produced by mafia gangs.

Ms Powell was left blind and with no kidney function – and only knew anything was wrong when she woke up in her hotel room and couldn’t see anything. 

Fortunately the friends she was travelling with suffered no long-term impacts, and she survived after receiving hospital treatment.

Ms Powell had to be on dialysis for 18 months before her mother donated a kidney for transplant. 

A western diplomat told the BBC the problem is particularly potent in southeast Asia: ‘You have the unscrupulous producer adding methanol to their drinks because it’s cheaper – it’s used to create a stronger-seeming drink or make lower-quality alcohol drinks seem more potent.

‘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. 

‘It’s more about the production side – there being being low education, low regulation, people cutting corners.’