‘World’s cheapest’ 36p-a-bottle booze may have killed 6 tourists after ‘error at communist government factory’ in Laos
SHOCKING details about the 36p-a-bottle booze that is suspected to have killed six people in Laos have been revealed.
Tiger Vodka, known by some as the world’s cheapest alcohol, was handed out to the victims of a suspected methanol poisoning in the Southeast Asian backpacking hotspot.
Some locals have suggested an error at a factory owned by the communist country could have led to this tragic incident, according to the Sun Herald.
Anonymous sources said Tiger Vodka was made on a site owned by the Laotian communist government.
The source said: “Everything is owned by the government, or at least 90 per cent government owned.”
“This could have been a mistake made at a government owned factory, that is a possible reason as to why it happened.”
Tiger Vodka is significantly cheaper than even the cheapest hard booze bought in the West as one 700ml bottle can be sold for 1000 Laotian Kip, which is 36p, in Vang Vieng.
This drink could be bought for even cheaper by bars like Nana Backpack hostel, where five of the victims stayed.
The cheap price has raised questions as to why the already cheap drink could have been spiked with methanol, which is a toxic chemical sometimes used as a cheaper alternative to ethanol.
Even small amounts of methanol can cause serious harm like blindness or death.
It is not clear where the allegedly methanol-spiked drinks were consumed – or exactly how many unwell tourists remain in hospital.
There have also been reports of possible poisoning victims from other venues in the area, which used Tiger Vodka.
Lucy Davison, who was hospitalized in Laos, revealed how she nearly died after drinking a free shot at Nana Backpackers, according to the Sun Herald.
She said a group of 10 people were given a bottle of the Tiger Vodka to share but she started to feel the symptoms just 15 minutes later.
Lucy said: “It has literally been the worst two weeks of my life.”
Two Australian best friends who died, Bianca Jones, 19, and Holly Bowles, 19, had also stayed at the hostel.
Why is methanol so deadly?
METHANOL is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly, writes The Sun's health correspondent Sam Blanchard.
The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness.
Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: “The body converts methanol to formic acid.
“Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy.
“If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die.
“Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness.
“The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death.
“While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.”
An unexpected but key way of treating methanol poisoning is to get the patient drunk with normal alcohol – known as ethanol – to distract the liver and stop it processing the methanol.
British tourist Simone White, from Kent, died last week.
Her parents paid tribute to Simonse and described her as a “beautiful, kind and loving daughter.”
They added: “Simone has been taken from us too soon, she will be sorely missed by her brother, grandmother and entire family.”
Two Danish friends Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and her friend Freja Vennervald, 21, died after they were left vomiting blood for 13 hours.
American man James Louis Hutson, 57, also died.
Local police have started an investigation into the tragedy and detained the owner and manager of the Nana Backpackers hostel Duong Duc Toan.
He previously denied that any drinks served there could have made the holidaymakers ill.
Staff at the hostel also denied that Tiger Vodka was added to the free shots handed out to guests during happy hour between 8pm and 10pm.
HOSTEL HORROR
A doctor who tried to save Holly from dying shared heartbreaking information on how quickly the suspected poisoning affected her, The Sun previously reported.
Holly died on Friday, just a day after her friend Bianca.
Staff at the Nana Backpack hostel became concerned when they failed to check out on the morning of November 13.
Holly was rushed to hospital and was initially treated by Dr Yaher at the district hospital in the town of Vang Vieng.
Dr Yaher told The Times how quickly Holly dropped into a coma.
The doctor said: “She was confused and she was sleepy.
“We asked her what she had eaten or drunk, but she didn’t know what had happened.”
Holly then suffered a seizure and went into a coma just 30 minutes later, before being dashed to another hospital.