Bombshell breakthrough in Laos methanol poisoning as supply of lethal drink is revealed after two Aussie ladies had been amongst six backpackers killed
Police have arrested the owner of the factory identified as the suspected source of the Laos methanol poisoning that claimed the lives of six backpackers including two Australians.
The manufacturing plant is located outside the capital city Vientiane and is understood to have been making the local Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey.
Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both aged 19, were among six foreign tourists who died after falling ill while holidaying in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town 129km north of Vientiane.
They had all been staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel, where eight staff members have now been arrested by police.
The best friends were evacuated to separate hospitals in Thailand on November 13.
Ms Jones died surrounded by loved ones in Udon Thani hospital before Ms Bowles died in nearby Bangkok Hospital.
Two Danish women Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, US man James Louis Hutson, 57 and British lawyer Simone White, 28, also died from after drinking contaminated drinks.
The rundown factory has been shut down by authorities and the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky has been banned in the country since the deadly outbreak.
The source of Laos’ deadly methanol-laced alcohol is believed to be a factory located outside the capital city Vientiane which is understood to have been making Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey
Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles (pictured), both aged 19, were among six foreign tourists who died after falling ill while staying at the hostel
The Ministry of Health’s Department of Food and Drugs in Laos said the drinks will remained banned and the factory shut ”until the manufacturer improves the factory production process to ensure safety and quality according to standards’, reports the ABC.
For now the factory remains abandoned and blue plastic drapes can be seen covering piles of empty bottles next to the remnants of a small fire outside.
Tiger Whisky packaging was found next to the extinguished fire, the publication said.
Twelve people have been arrested by authorities so far for their connection to the poisonous alcohol.
Two Indian men, aged 24 and 30, and a 35-year-old Filipino woman working at the hostel Ms Jones and Ms Bowles had been staying at, Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, were arrested last week.
No charges have yet been laid in relation to these arrests.
SmartTraveller updated its latest travel advice for Laos warning Australians to avoid the drinks because of ‘serious safety concerns’ on November 29.
‘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,’ it read.
Ms Bowles died in Bangkok Hospital
Ms Jones died surrounded by loved ones in Udon Thani hospital
The bodies of Ms Jones and Ms Bowles were flown home to Melbourne on November 26.
The pair were became ill and failed to check out of Nana Backpackers Hostel on November 13 after a night at nearby Jaidee Bar.
They were evacuated to Thailand and died in separate Bangkok hospitals after their parents raced to be by their bedsides.
Ms Bowles died after several days in intensive care on November 21.
Her best friend Ms Jones died one day earlier.
After the girls were returned to Melbourne, Ms Jones’ father Mark said more needed to be done to ensure those responsible for the suspected contamination of beer and spirits were held to account.
‘I was happy to hear that there’s been some movement over in Laos, I will continue to urge our government to pursue whoever was responsible,’ Mr Jones said.
‘We cannot have our girls passing and this continuing to happen.’
It has since emerged that travellers tried to warn others to avoid Nana Backpackers Hostel in now-deleted Google reviews, the publication also revealed.
One traveller wrote: ‘Do not go here!! They have methanol in their drinks and me and 3 others have been hospitalised because of this.’
Twelve people have been arrested thus far in Laos regarding the poisonings, including a 35-year-old woman who worked at the hostel Ms Jones and Ms Bowles had been staying at (pictured)
In a since-deleted Google review other backpackers tried to warn people to avoid Nana Backpackers Hostel due to methanol-laced alcohol which the hostel called ‘slander’
Another said they stayed there for five days and were left ill by the alcohol.
‘Myself and friends were sick from consuming the free vodka here,’ they wrote.
‘People we know were taken to hospital, some even in intensive care with serious problems.’
‘The ones in hospital have all had traces of methanol in their bloodstream which is incredibly dangerous.’
Another reviewer said they had ‘heard several stories of people who ended up in the ICU or even died’ after consuming drinks served in the hostel bar.
In response, Nana Backpacker Hostel branded the claims ‘slander’.
‘Our hostel has been operating for five years, and during this time, we have always prioritised the safety and well-being of our guests. We take any claims like this very seriously,’ an account for the hostel replied.
The warnings could have saved lives, but were subsequently deleted from Google.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Google for comment.
