Foreign Office issues warning as Brit tourists involved in horror Laos backpacker poison plot

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed officials are supporting Britons and their families pursuing the suspected poisonings successful Laos

The Foreign Office has confirmed it is providing assistance to Britons successful Laos pursuing a fearfulness suspected mass-poisoning incidental successful which 2 radical died.

Local media reported earlier this week that 2 Danish nationals died and a further 2 Australian teens were hospitalised with what is believed to beryllium methanol poisoning aft they drank tainted intoxicant astatine the Nana Hostel successful the edifice municipality Vang Vieng. The 2 Aussie tourists, named arsenic 19-year-olds Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, are present warring for their lives successful Thai hospitals successful Bangkok and Udon Thani.

Warnings person since started circulating done societal media sites informing backpackers to steer wide of intoxicant portion they are staying successful the area, with respective different radical reported to person fallen ill. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has present confirmed it is supporting Britons who are staying successful Laos.

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In a connection to the Daily Mirror, the FCDO said it is "providing consular assistance" to British nationals and their families, and that representatives are successful interaction with Laos authorities. A spokesperson said: "We are providing consular assistance to British nationals and their families and are successful interaction with the section authorities pursuing an incidental successful Laos."

The department's planetary counterparts are besides liaising with Laos authorities, with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stating that it was providing consular assistance to 2 Australians and their families successful Thailand. A spokesperson for the section said: "Our thoughts are with them astatine this profoundly distressing time."

Authorities are yet to corroborate what the tourists drank erstwhile they were poisoned, with aboriginal reports pointing towards imaginable methanol consumption. Methanol is simply a unsafe chemic that is sometimes utilized arsenic a inexpensive ethanol substitute and mixed successful drinks. But it is highly toxic, and depletion of adjacent constricted amounts tin beryllium deadly.

Nana Hostel proprietor Duong van Huan, who has been successful concern successful some the Laotian superior Vientiane and Vang Vieng for 11 years, told ABC News Australia that helium is definite the poisoned drinks were not sold astatine his bar, adding that nary of his different hostel guests fell ill. Mr van Huan besides powerfully denied adding methanol to the drinks astatine the barroom and said constabulary had already checked his business.

He said: "The constabulary successful Vang Vieng and Vientiane already came to the hostel to check, the store (where) we bargain the vodka, cheque the store [where] we bargain the whisky. We don't bash thing wrong, for sure." The concern proprietor added that this was the archetypal clip this had happened during his career.

Mr Duong van Huan said: "I truly instrumentality attraction of each of the customers [who] enactment with our edifice and our hostel."