[Capture News] Deaths Surging After Drinking...'Backpack trip hot place' worldwide warning

a hostel in Vang Vieng, a famous tourist destination in Laos,
Two Australian teenage women who traveled to ∀ and stayed here were taken to a neighboring Thai hospital due to poor health, but died.

High concentrations of methanol were detected in the body.

[Patanawong Champon / Thai Police Chief Udon Thani: Methanol is a poison and you should not eat or drink it. The cause of death is brain swelling caused by methanol.

On the evening of the 12th, it was confirmed that they drank free alcohol provided by the accommodation with other guests.

In addition to the two, one British, one American and two Danes have been killed so far, with more tourists in critical condition, possibly increasing the death toll.

In this regard, the U.S. State Department issued a health alert for travelers to Laos,
The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom has also issued guidelines for travelers to Laos urging caution when drinking alcoholic beverages.

[Tony Shahar / Israeli tourist: I'm not going to drink from a glass. I won't drink a bottle, nor will I drink a homemade drink.

Until now, in some Southeast Asian countries, casualties have often occurred while making alcohol with cheap methanol.

Experts warn that even a small amount of methanol can be deadly.

[Alistair Hay / Professor of Toxicology at Leeds University] Because each person has a different ability to detoxify enzymes, some people can tolerate more than others. However, even a small amount of tens of milliliters can be fatal depending on the individual.

In particular, Bangbieng is called the "Holy Place for Backpack Travel" and is also visited by many Korean tourists, so caution is needed ahead of the peak winter season.

I'm Kim Jiyoung of YTN.

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Video | Eunji Kang
subtitle news | Lee Mi-young


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