A British lawyer has died after drinking free shots allegedly laced with deadly methanol during a holiday in Laos.
Simone White, 28, from Orpington in Kent, is the fifth tourist to have passed away after falling dangerously ill last week.
At least seven others, including other British holidaymakers, remain in hospital following the ‘poisoning’ at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in the popular resort town of Vang Vieng.
Australian Bianca Jones, 19, has also died in the horrific incident alongside two Danish women in their 20s and a 56-year-old American man.
Ms Jones’ friend, Holly Bowles, who is also 19 and from Melbourne, remains critically ill on life support.
Ms White was an associate lawyer specialising in technology and intellectual property at the London office of the American law firm Squire Patton Boggs.
After completing her A-levels at St Olave’s Grammar School in Orpington, she studied law at Newcastle University before taking the fast-track course at the BPP law school.
Ms White’s friend, Bethany Clarke, a healthcare 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 as so not worth it. Six of us who drank from the same place are in hospital currently with methanol poisoning.’
Hostel manager and bartender Duong Duc Toan, who served the shots, denied it was his Tiger Vodka that had made the tourists sick.
Mr Toan said he bought the alcohol from a certified distributor and insisted it had not been tainted by himself or his staff.
He said the shots were served to around 100 guests and that the hostel had not received any other complaints.
To prove his point, the bartender drank from one of the vodka bottles that were in use on the night to prove it was safe.
Methanol is sometimes found in alcoholic drinks in southeast Asia as a cheaper, counterfeit alternative to ethanol.
The Foreign Office has issued guidance to Britons travelling to the country, warning them against consuming replica alcohol brands that may contain hidden amounts of methanol.
Staff became concerned about Ms Jones and Ms Bowles after they failed to check out on November 13 and arranged to take the pair to hospital after they ‘calmly’ asked for assistance.
Hostel CCTV shows one of the women being transported to hospital on the back of a moped.
Mr Toan said the Australians were at the bar playing cards from 8pm to 10.30pm and had three drinks each in that time.
He poured them a Lao Pdr Tiger Vodka containing 40 per cent alcohol and mixed it with ice and Coke Zero.
‘Right now the police [are telling] every hostel and hotel and bar to stop selling drinks in Vang Vieng,’ he said.
The best friends, who were on a ‘dream getaway’ gap year trip across south-east Asia, were taken to Udon Thani and Bangkok Hospital respectively after telling hostel staff they needed medical attention.
Ms Jones’ parents broke their silence on Wednesday to reveal they hope local police can swiftly find out what happened.
‘Our family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support that have come from across Australia,’ they told the Herald Sun.
‘This is every parent’s nightmare and we want to ensure no other family is forced to endure the anguish we are going through.
‘We hope the authorities can get to the bottom of what happened as soon as possible.’
Ms Bowles’ father, Shaun Bowles, said his family has spent every minute possible by Holly’s side.
He told reporters outside Bangkok Hospital yesterday: ‘Right now our daughter remains in an intensive care unit, in critical condition, she’s on life support.
‘We would just like to thank everyone from back home for all their support and love that we are receiving.
‘We would also like for people to appreciate right now, we just need privacy so we can spend as much time as we can with Holly.’
The Jones family released a statement on Tuesday saying their daughter had been on a ‘dream getaway with her best friend Holly’.
‘They were filled with joy and had such incredible adventures ahead of them, travelling through Asia,’ the statement said. ‘We are here by Bianca’s bedside praying for her. Please respect our privacy at this difficult time.’
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand, but couldn’t provide further information for privacy reasons.
‘Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,’ the office said.
Australian media also reported that two Danish tourists died after consuming tainted alcohol in Vang Vieng at the same time as the Australian women, but it was not immediately possible to confirm details.
Asked about media reports, Denmark’s Foreign Ministry said that ‘two Danish citizens have passed away in Laos’ but that it could not provide specifics for ‘reasons of confidentiality in personal matters.’
The US State Department confirmed the death of a US citizen, aged 56, this morning.
Vang Vieng is a tourist town particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.
Businesses appeared to be going on as usual on Tuesday evening in the surrounding neighborhood of the hostel bustling with bars and food stalls.
Jasmine Antonius, a Dutch tourist who has been in Vang Vieng for three days, said that she tried to become more careful with drinks after she heard about the case.
‘I think sometimes you’re not really watching how your drinks are being made,’ she said. ‘I feel now it’s a wake up call for many people since this happened. So I hope people would take more precaution because it’s really sad.’
Local police have launched an investigation into the poisoning, which is ongoing.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: ‘We are providing consular assistance to British nationals and their families and are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Laos.’
