British lawyer among six to die in suspected methanol poisoning in Laos | Laos

A British lawyer is among six people who have died in suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was “supporting the family of a British woman who died in Laos and we are in contact with the local authorities”.

Simone White, 28, from Orpington, south-east London, was among a number of people taken to hospital after the incident in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng last week.

Other British tourists are among those being treated in hospital after allegedly being served alcoholic drinks containing deadly methanol. Reports suggest that as many as six British nationals have required treatment.

The FCDO said in a statement: “We provide consular assistance to British nationals and their families.”

White was an attorney at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs whose work involves general commercial matters and contentious and non-confidential intellectual property matters, according to the firm’s website.

Two Australian teenagers, an American and two Danish tourists aged 19 and 20 have also died following the incident in Vang Vieng, a town particularly popular with backpackers in search of partying and adventure sports.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones, from Melbourne, died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng for treatment in a Thai hospital.

Thai authorities said Jones died of “swelling of the brain due to high levels of methanol found in her system”.

The death of her friend Holly Bowles, also 19, was confirmed by her father on Friday (local time). They had stayed at a hostel in Vang Vieng.

The US State Department said one American had died and Denmark’s Foreign Ministry said two of its citizens had died in the “incident in Laos”, but neither commented directly on a link to the methanol poisoning that killed Jones.

New Zealand’s foreign affairs ministry said one of its citizens was ill in Laos and could be a victim of methanol poisoning.

Methanol is toxic when ingested by humans. The incident has highlighted the dangers of methanol poisoning across Southeast Asia, where it is a cultural norm to brew bootleg spirits from ingredients such as rice and sugar cane, sometimes mixed with methanol as a cheaper alternative to ethanol.

Authorities in Laos are investigating the incident. Samples were sent to Thailand and verified there, said Prof Knut Erik Hovda, who advises MSF on a project to combat methanol poisoning.

Hovda said that based on the clinical features and histories of the people flown to Thailand for treatment, they had most likely been poisoned by methanol.

“The minute you have people drinking and getting sick in high numbers and the symptoms start after a certain amount of time, it’s methanol until proven otherwise,” he said. “To me, this is undoubtedly caused by methanol.”

Asia has the highest incidence of methanol poisoning globally, with incidents in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines, according to MSF data.

Alastair Hay, professor of environmental toxicology at the University of Leeds, said the risk of methanol poisoning was twofold.

“Methanol breaks down in the body into formaldehyde and then formic acid. The formic acid disrupts the acid/base balance in the blood, and the biggest consequence is initially the effect on someone’s breathing,” he said. “There are effects on many other organs, the kidneys being one. The disruption of the acid/base balance and disturbed breathing will eventually affect the heart and it will stop working.

“Formaldehyde attacks the nerves, especially the optic nerve, and blindness is a potential risk. Depending on the severity of the poisoning, treatment may require dialysis to remove methanol from the blood, while keeping someone mildly intoxicated by administering ethanol. If the poisoning is not too severe, and only blood tests will determine this, ethanol alone may suffice.”

Additional reporting by Kate Lamb