Storyline
Laos tourist methanol poisoning 2026
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
1 DAYS
14 FACTS
1 EVENTS
1 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY JUL 18
JUL 18 · Day 1
Laos says it cannot determine cause of tourist deaths linked to methanol
The victims included Simone White, a 28-year-old Briton; 19-year-old Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles; Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald Sorensen, 21, both from Denmark; and US national James Louis Hutson, 57.
The distillery owner is facing charges for the sale of food products harmful to health and operating an illegal business, but not the deaths.
Officials found excessive levels of methanol in vodka made by the distillery involved.