Key facts
- Australia has raised its travel advisory for Laos, citing risks of methanol poisoning.
- A distillery owner in Laos has been charged after a mass methanol poisoning incident killed six foreign nationals.
- The charges include selling harmful food and operating an illegal business, with potential penalties of three months to four years in jail.
- Families of the victims, including Australian backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, have expressed deep disappointment with the lenient charges.
- Two Danish women, a British woman, and an American man also died in the incident in November 2024.
Australia has increased its travel advisory for Laos, urging travellers to exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of methanol poisoning, following charges announced over a mass poisoning incident that killed six foreign nationals. Among the deceased were Australian backpackers Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, along with two Danish women, a British woman, and an American man.
The owner of a distillery in Laos has been charged with selling food harmful to health and operating an illegal business. This carries a potential prison sentence of three months to four years and a fine. Families of the victims, however, have voiced deep disappointment, calling the charges a "slap in the face" and stating they do not reflect the seriousness of the tragedy.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed frustration, noting that more serious charges were not pursued. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen echoed these sentiments, finding the lenient indictment difficult to reconcile with the extent of the loss. The case will remain open for 15 years, allowing for potential further charges if sufficient proof of negligent homicide emerges.
The victims had reportedly consumed free shots of Laotian vodka at the Nana Backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng before falling ill. Some were later evacuated to hospitals in Thailand, where they died.