8 people arrested over Laos methanol deaths

Police have arrested eight people over the suspected mass methanol poisoning that killed six foreign tourists earlier this month.  

The Laos government have promised justice after two Danish and Australian, a Briton and an American citizen died after falling ill at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, a small riverside town.  

Police have detained 8 employees of the hostel. Authorities suspect that the deaths were caused by poisoning, possibly due to tainted drinks laced with methanol. The government said it had been conducting “investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law”.  

Methanol is sometimes added to liqour as a cheaper alternative as a cheaper alternative to ethanol and has been blamed for mass deaths in Asia.