Britons have been warned about the dangers of methanol poisoning in the south-east Asia travel hotspot of Laos after six deaths linked to contaminated vodka shots – including that of a young British lawyer.
But the risks of the poison, which is mixed into counterfeit drinks to boost profits, are not just a problem for those visiting Southeast Asia.
Cases have been reported in holiday hotspots that attract tens of thousands of Brits every year, such as Greece and Turkey, with some experts warning it is a growing problem.
According to guidance published on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website, British tourists and expats should be aware of the risk of methanol poisoning from counterfeit alcohol in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Vietnam and now Laos.
Australian officials are also warning that travelers to Thailand, Cambodia and British holiday favorite Turkey should also be wary of the risks of methanol poisoning.
It has also been documented that Britons themselves suffered methanol poisoning in Greece.
Methanol poisoning can be incredibly deadly, with a mortality rate of up to 50 percent, and just 15 ml of liquid (half a shot) is enough to kill you.
The colorless fluid produces toxic chemicals that attack the body’s cells, leading to organ damage and in some cases death.
Brits have now been warned about the dangers of methanol poisoning in South East Asia, but incidents have been reported in holiday destinations much closer to home
Experts have warned holidaymakers to look out for subtle symptoms of the problem, including confusion, dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, vision changes and stomach and muscle pain.
Many of these mimic signs of alcohol poisoning, but vision change, due to the way the substance damages sensitive cells in the eyes, is thought to be an important difference.
While sporadic cases occur semi-regularly in Southeast Asia and Central America, incidents have been recorded much closer to Britain.
Turkish authorities and local media have reported dozens of cases of local residents being killed and tourists hospitalized for unknowingly drinking counterfeit alcohol laced with methanol.
One of the most famous incidents occurred in 2011, when four Russian nationals died and nearly twenty others fell ill after being served a tainted whiskey bottle on a yacht.
Turkish authorities arrested 22 people and seized thousands of bottles of illegal liquor after shutting down an organized group supplying the counterfeit liquor in connection with the incident.
Medics in the country have also warned that the problem caused by the consumption of methanol linked to counterfeit alcohols is increasing.
Turkish doctors published a study Earlier this year, they noted that more than half of 15 recent methanol poisoning victims had died and called on authorities to address the scandal.
Australian Holly Bowles (pictured), 19, was on holiday with her school friend in popular backpacking destination Vang Vieng – she has sadly become the sixth person to die
Simone White, 28, from Orpington in Kent, is the fifth tourist to die after falling ill last week
Bianca Jones, 19, has become the fourth person to die after consuming so-called ‘methanol-laced’ drinks in Vang Vieng, Laos
The authors of the study, published in The Turkish Journal of Neurology, wrote: ‘The critical parameters to save lives in methyl alcohol poisoning are early diagnosis and timely, appropriate and aggressive treatment.
‘Clinical, social and economic strategies need to be developed by national authorities to combat this problem.’
Neighboring Greece has also seen cases of methanol poisoning, including some involving Britons.
One case involved Hannah Powell, from Middlesbrough, who suffered blindness and kidney failure aged 21 as a result of consuming a vodka cocktail laced with methanol on the Greek holiday island of Zakynthos in 2016.
Friends who were with them at the time also became ill, but not as seriously.
Mrs Powell never regained her sight and her mother had to donate one of her own kidneys to her daughter to save her life.
In another incident in 2018 on the same island, 17 British teenagers were rushed to hospital after drinking alcohol they claimed was laced with methanol.
This is evident from a newspaper investigation following the hospital admissions of The sun found traces of methanol in vodka sold by bar staff in the party town of Laganas.
Hostel manager and bartender Duong Duc Toan (pictured) claims it wasn’t his Tiger Vodka that made tourists sick
Spirits, sold as shots or as part of cocktails, are laced with methanol through counterfeit alcohol supplies.
Recent warnings about the poison have focused on a mass poisoning incident in Laos last night that left six victims, 19-year-old Holly Bowles from Australia.
Her deaths follow those of her friend Bianca Jones, also 19, and British lawyer Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent.
There have also been three other fatalities – two Danes and an American – linked to the drinks served in the Laotian town of Vang Vieng, which is popular with backpackers.
It is believed that at least eleven people remain in hospital.
Ms White, Ms Jones and Ms Bowles all stayed at the Nana Backpackers Hostel, where they were given free shots of booze believed to be laced with methanol.
Now the hostel’s manager, Duong Duc Toan, has reportedly been arrested by local police.
Authorities said a “number” of people have been taken into custody, but no charges have yet been filed.
Staff previously vehemently denied that the shots at their bar were responsible for the mass poisoning.
Ms White’s friend Bethany Clarke, a health worker also from Orpington, took to the Laos Backpacking Facebook group to warn other travellers.
She said: ‘Urgent – please avoid all local spirits. Our group stayed in Vang Vieng and we drank free shots offered by one of the bars. Just avoid them, it’s not worth it. Six of us who drank in the same place are currently in hospital with methanol poisoning.”
Ms Clarke added that she “got very tired and then fainted, then just felt nauseous and then my liver started shutting down” after drinking contaminated alcohol.
She continued, “I got to the private hospital on time, but underwent a lot of IVs and tablets and days of recovery.”
Toan, who served Mrs Jones and Mrs Bowles shots, denied it was his Tiger Vodka that made the girls sick.
He claims he only buys alcohol from legitimate sellers and even drinks from a bottle himself to “prove it was safe.”
Toan added that the free shots were offered to about 100 guests and said there were no other complaints.