Laos vows justice after tainted alcohol kills tourists

FILE PHOTO: A general view of the Bangkok Hospital, where an Australian teenager was taken after drinking alcohol contaminated with methanol in Laos and passed away, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 22, 2024. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Lao government is "profoundly saddened" by the deaths of foreign tourists from drinking alcohol contaminated with methanol and pledged to prosecute those responsible.

Two Danes, two Australians, a Briton and an American have died after visiting Vang Vieng, an idyllic town that is popular with foreign backpackers, and drinking contaminated alcohol.