Laos Bans Booze Brand Believed to Have Killed 6 Tourists

Authorities in Laos have issued a vodka and whisky ban on the brand Tiger Vodka and Whisky. (Photo: Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP)

The Guardian reported on Friday that Laos is implementing a ban on Tiger, a local whisky and vodka brand, after six tourists, including one American, died of what authorities believe to be methanol poisoning.

According to BBC, Australia warned tourists to avoid the Tiger brand “due to serious safety concerns” after free shots of the spirits brand were apparently given out to tourists in the town of Vang Vieng at a hostel. CNN reported the country warned against Tiger Vodka being used in cocktails as well.

The outlet reported that the police have the manager of a hostel and seven staff members in their custody. The government said it would “bring the perpetrators to justice” after two Australian teenagers, a 28-year-old lawyer, a 57-year-old American and two Danish citizens died from consuming the tainted liquor.

The British outlet spoke with a professor of molecular ecotoxicology at King’s College London, Christer Hogstrand, about the deadly chemical methanol.

“Methanol is like the alcohol in our drinks – colorless and odorless – but its impact on humans can be deadly,” Hogstrand said, according to the BBC. “It has a different carbon atom structure which completely changes how humans process it in the body, leading to these potentially fatal consequences.”

The UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office amended its travel warnings and urged tourists visiting Laos to be weary of consuming alcohol due to the mass methanol poisoning.

The warning recommended tourists purchase alcohol exclusively from licensed shops and go to a hospital immediately if they develop symptoms.