The story
Eight hostel staff members have been detained in Laos after six tourists died.
The tourists’ deaths were thought to have been caused by drinks that had been contaminated with methanol, a type of alcohol that the human body cannot process.
Vang Vieng is a town popular with backpackers, usually young people who travel on a budget, and has a reputation for cheap alcohol and partying.
According to humanitarian organisation, Medecin Sans Frontieres, Asia has the highest incidence of methanol poisoning, with cases in Indonesia, India, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Methanol is sometimes added to home-made alcohol, but just 30ml can be deadly.
News headlines
6 tourists who died are believed to have drunk tainted alcohol in Laos
Business Insider
Laos’ methanol poisoning deaths send chill through backpacker paradise
Al-Jazeera
How an idyllic Laos village turned into a hedonistic party hotspot
The Telegraph
Key words and phrases
tainted
made dangerous by something harmful
- The company had to recall the tainted meat.
send chill through
make worried or afraid
- Seeing the destruction caused by the earthquake sent a chill through the rescue team.
hedonistic
related to uncontrolled partying
- The rock band became known for their hedonistic parties.