23 hours Ago By Molly Magennis
The sale of a brand of Laos vodka and whisky has been banned by authorities following the mass methanol poisoning event that killed six people, including two young Australians. According to a Smartraveller update , the country’s authorities have issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky. “(This is) due to their concerns about these products being a health risk,” the website, run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today It’s been previously reported a bottle of Tiger Vodka could be purchased for as little as $2.50. A warning has also been issued for Australian travellers against the consumption of the alcohol.
“Several foreign nationals, including Australians, have been victims in November 2024 of methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks,” Smartraveller said. “Be alert to the potential risks particularly with spirit-based drinks including cocktails.” Melbourne backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, died in hospital last week due to consuming drinks containing methanol while on holiday in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist town in Laos.
British lawyer Simone White, 57-year-old American man James Louis Hutson and Danish women Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21 also died in the mass poisoning event. It’s understood several other tourists fell ill, including another Australian who is also a dual national . Eight people from the hostel where both Jones and Bowles were staying at when they fell sick have been detained and are assisting the police with their investigation.
The manager of the hostel, Nana Backpackers, previously said the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality. He said no other guests reported any issues. The bodies of the two girls and their grieving families landed in Melbourne on Tuesday after boarding a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok.
Speaking on behalf of both families at Melbourne Airport on Tuesday night, Bianca’s father Mark Jones thanked the community for the support in Australian and abroad during what has been a “horrendous time for us”. “We want to grieve..
. we miss our daughters desperately,” he said. “I was happy to hear there has been some movement over in Laos.
“We will make every effort we can to help raise awareness of methanol poisoning. “We cannot have our girls passing and this continuing to happen.”.
