Laos poisonings: Sixth tourist dies after drinking 'tainted shots' as hostel manager detained

Transcript

00:00A sixth tourist has died after drinking shots laced with methanol in Laos.

00:0419-year-old Holly Bowles had been in a critical condition in hospital in Bangkok for days,

00:08following the poisoning in Vang Vieng more than a week ago.

00:11Another tourist from London, Simone White, died on Thursday.

00:14The manager and owner of the hostel where they were staying have been detained by police.

00:18An officer at Vang Vieng's tourism police office said that a number of

00:21people had been detained in the case but that no charges had been filed.

00:25Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel confirmed that the manager and owner

00:29were among those taken in for questioning.

00:31The US State Department has issued a health alert for citizens travelling in Laos following the incident.

00:36Earlier, another Australian woman was confirmed to have died, as well as an American citizen.

00:40Two Danish women aged 19 and 20 also died last week.

00:44All the women died by methanol poisoning.

00:46Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars

00:49as a cheaper alternative to ethanol but can cause severe poisoning or death.

00:54It's also a by-product of poorly distilled homebrew liquor

00:57and could have found its way into bar drinks inadvertently.