Hostel Staff Held Over Tourist Deaths in Laos

Eight staffers at a hostel in Laos have been detained after a rash of tourist deaths and illnesses last week. Two 19-year-old Australians, two Danish women in their early 20s, and a 57-year-old American man all died of suspected methanol poisoning during their stay at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng; a 28-year-old London woman also died after staying in Vang Vieng. The Guardian cites local media in reporting the hostel's 34-year-old manager is among those detained. The hostel owners previously denied serving alcohol tainted with methanol, reports the BBC.

The deaths of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles of Australia were the first to emerge; the women fell ill after consuming free shots at the hostel then heading out for the night on Nov. 12. The two Danish women were found unconscious in their room on Nov. 13 and reportedly died of heart failure that night. James Louis Hutson was found dead in his hostel room on the same day. (The deaths have drawn attention to the longstanding problem of tainted alcohol in Southeast Asia, where despite warnings from governments, many tourists are unaware of the dangers.)