World
November 18, 2024 09:30
vang vieng, laos - Two 19-year-old backpackers were poisoned by cocktails containing methanol in Laos. The incident occurred in Vang Vieng, a popular destination among backpackers in Laos.
Two 19-year-old girls were staying at a budget hotel in Vang Vieng, Laos when they drank cocktails believed to contain the toxic chemical.
They have been admitted to various hospitals in Thailand. One of the victims has been flown to Bangkok, where her family is now with her. The father of one of the victims told the Australian news program 3AW that his daughter's condition is "serious."
The tourists were traveling with a larger group. Ten of their fellow travelers also fell ill in Vang Vieng.
According to a staff member at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng, several young Australian women, including the two from Melbourne, had checked in there last week.
The staff member said that the group of young women went to some of the nearby bars in the evening and returned to their accommodation in the early hours. "The girls were partying, and the next day they slept all day," said the man, who wished to remain anonymous, to the Brisbane Times.
When the travelers did not show up at the reception for check-out, the staff checked their rooms. The women were unwell and were urgently taken to the hospital.
Methanol is a toxic byproduct of alcoholic fermentation found in household and industrial products. The American National Library of Medicine describes methanol exposure as "extremely hazardous" with a significant risk of death if ingested and not treated.
Symptoms of methanol poisoning include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulties, and blindness.
Despite its toxicity, methanol is sometimes added to illegal homemade alcoholic beverages as a cheap alternative to ethanol, the standard alcohol in alcoholic drinks. This can lead to poisoning in individuals consuming them unaware that they contain methanol.
In August, eight people died in Bangkok after drinking a herbal liquor laced with methanol. Forty-four people fell ill and were hospitalized after consuming the lethal drink. The drink was made from methanol allegedly supplied by two brothers aged 44 and 46.
A 49-year-old woman purchased the substance from the two men, whom she believed were selling alcohol. She turned it into spirits, which she supplied to stalls at a night market in northern Bangkok selling the traditional liquor 'ya dong'.