Officials Vow Justice After American, Five Tourists Killed in Poisoning

The Southeast Asian country of Laos pledged justice Saturday, after six tourists were poisoned to death in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng, the Associated Press reported.

One of the tourists was an American.

Among the other casualties were two Australian teenage girls who died after a night of drinking in town. Methanol was confirmed in at least one of the cases.

A British woman and two Danes were also killed, though a cause of death has not yet been released. A New Zealander has since fallen ill as well.

“We are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace,”  said the parents of deceased 19-year-old Australian Holly Bowles. “We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.”

Vang Vieng Tourism Police told the Associated Press on Friday that although a “number of people” had been detained as suspects, no charges had yet been filed.

The two Australian girls were staying at The Nana Backpacker Hostel, which closed its gate on Saturday.

The hostel hasn’t taken any new guests since the beginning of the week, and its Vietnamese owner and manager have been detained for questioning by police, the AP reported.

The Laotian government issued a short statement that it was “profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists,” offering condolences to the victims’ families, The Washington Times reported.

“The Government of the Lao [People’s Democratic Republic] has been conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law,” the statement said.

Laotian officials have shared little else regarding the details of the case.

The U.S. State Department also issued a health alert to Americans on Friday.

“The United States Embassy is aware of a number of cases of suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks,” the statement read.

“Please be alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning, especially when consuming spirit-based alcoholic drinks.”

Methanol is sometimes used as a cheap alternative to ethanol in mixed drinks at shady bars, according to the AP.

It’s also a byproduct of poorly distilled liquor brewed at home, opening up the possibility of accidental poisonings.

Vang Vieng is a backpacker hot spot.

In 2023 it received 600,000 tourists and expects even more this year, the AP reported.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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