‘It was the go-to hostel’: Travel blogger staggered as hostel she recommended becomes site of mass poisoning in Laos
A travel blogger has told GB News she was rocked by the news that a hostel she recommended became the site of a mass poisoning.
Police in Laos have detained the manager and owner of a hostel in connection with the deaths of six people from suspected methanol poisoning, including a British lawyer.
A number of people including 28-year-old Simone White, from Orpington, Kent, were taken to hospital following the incident in the popular backpacking town of Van Vieng last week.
Her death was confirmed by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Thursday.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, Steph Dawson told Tom Harwood and Dawn Neesom about her own experience at the hostel.
“I am literally completed shocked. I did a whole reel on Instagram promoting this hostel as a place to stay”, she said.
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“When I went, it was the go-to hostel. It was the most popular hostel in the area.
“It was where every backpacker goes. It’s cheap, sociable and it offers free alcohol between 7-9pm. They do free vodka and free rum every night.”
She added: “Because it’s so cheap, you can go down the road and buy a bottle of vodka for £1.60, but it tastes cheap. Everyone out there does it so everyone thinks it’s fine, I think that’s why it’s so shocking.”
Those poisoned in the incident are believed to have been served drinks tainted with methanol, sometimes used by disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol.
Duong Duc Toan, manager of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, said staff were told by other guests that the women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on November 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them.
He said the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel two days earlier.
He said no other guest reported any issue, adding that the alleged victims had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning.
Officials in Laos have released almost no details about the case, with the government keeping a tight lid on information.
Dawson offered a series of tips on how tourists can stay safe when backpacking.
“I would say overall, you’re safe, trust your instincts”, she said.
“We have to wait for the investigation to be over to pass judgement on the hostel. If you’re not into partying or don’t want to do shots, don’t stay at these hostels doing free shots.”