Laos cops shutdown vodka factory feared to be ‘source of bad batch’ that killed 6 backpackers including Brit lawyer

Laos police have closed a vodka and whisky facility that is thought to have produced a batch of drinks that killed six foreigners.

Last month, Simone White, a 28-year-old London barrister, was among several who died after being poisoned by methanol while having a good time in the popular tourist destination Vang Vieng.

According to ABC, police have detained the proprietor of the facility that produced low-cost regional liquors known as Tiger Whisky and Tiger Vodka and prohibited their sale.

Authorities have closed the dilapidated location outside the capital city of Vientiane until it improves its production technique.

Tiger Whisky packaging was found outside the now-abandoned facility next to a smothered fire, and blue curtains were draped over stacks of empty bottles.

Eight employees of Nana Backpackers Hostel have also been detained for allegedly refusing to summon an ambulance for the dying visitors, although the six poisoning victims were all staying there.

No charges have been filed against the arrested workers, who are thought to be Vietnamese nationals.

Last Monday, local authorities conducted an investigation and arrested Duong Duc Toan, the hostel’s manager and bartender.

It is unclear whether the hostel’s bar’s complimentary shots of Tiger vodka were the cause of the methanol contamination, but the foreign visitors became ill a few hours after consuming them.

Toan earlier denied that any of the hostel’s drinks may have caused illness in its patrons.

Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald, 21, were two Danish friends who perished after being left “vomiting blood” for 13 hours.

While one of the women was experiencing a seizure, a female employee massaged her toes, a witness told the Sydney Morning Herald, claiming it was only a panic attack.

Best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19 and from Melbourne, were also slain.

After spending the night drinking at Nana’s hostel and the neighboring Jaidee Bar, the two fell ill and did not check out of their rooms on November 13.

Their family traveled to be with the buddies as they were taken to different hospitals in Bangkok, Thailand.

According to Jones’ father, more work has to be done to hold those who produced the tainted booze accountable.

I’m glad to hear that there has been some progress in Laos, and I will keep pushing our government to find the person who did it, he said.

We cannot allow this to continue when our girls are dying.

On November 26, the teenagers’ bodies were transported back to Australia.

Following the deaths, it has come to light that previous visitors attempted to caution other travelers against staying at Nana’s hostel after being poisoned, but these attempts were removed from Google.

One person commented in a now-deleted review: Don’t go here! They put myself and three other people in the hospital because their drinks contain methanol.

Another critical review said: After drinking the free vodka here, my companions and I were exhausted.

We know people who were admitted to hospitals, some of whom were in critical condition.

All of the patients in the hospital had extremely unsafe levels of methanol in their blood.

The warnings were retaliated against by Nana Backpackers Hostel, which called them defamation.

In response to the reviews, a hostel spokesperson stated: In the five years that we have been in business, we have always placed a high priority on the security and welfare of our visitors.

Claims such as this are taken extremely seriously by us.

“Bring the perpetrators to justice” is a pledge made by the Laotian government.

They continued: “The government of the Lao PDR reaffirms that it always attaches the importance and pays attention to the safety of both domestic and foreign tourists.”