UK launches methanol travel alert after Laos shots killed 28-year-old

A woman whose best friend died after unknowingly drinking methanol-laced shots on holiday has praised a new government campaign hoping to prevent it from happening to others.

Bethany Clarke and Simone White were holidaying in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng, Laos, in November 2024 when a night out turned fatal.

Clarke and White, from Orpington, south-east London, both became seriously ill the next day, assuming they were battling severe hangovers.

However, it turned out they had unwittingly taken shots laced with methanol.

Both were hospitalised, and while Clarke thankfully recovered, White, 28, died days later after suffering irreversible brain damage.

Lawyer White was one of six who died after consuming free drinks served at the Nana Backpacker Hostel. Two Australian teenagers, an American, and two Danish tourists made up the other fatalities.

As an inquest took place earlier this year, South London Coroners’ Court heard that Australian Federal Police (AFP) ‘advised there is no evidence that the hostel workers were involved in contaminating the drinks with methanol’. An investigation into the distillery owner and factory workers involved with production is ongoing.

In her late friend’s honour and eager to raise awareness, Clarke has since launched an online petition and had meetings with Heathrow Airport and the travel industry.

Earlier this week, the UK government backed volunteers of her ‘MethaKnow’ campaign, a new group that has applied for charitable status and aims to advocate for measures to prevent similar incidents.

Clarke said: ‘The FCDO launched their summer campaign this week, and we had a couple of the campaigners involved: Calum, who lost his eyesight, and Margaret McKie, who lost her daughter Kirsty, who both went on BBC Breakfast.

‘This coincided with the launch of our campaign, MethaKnow.

‘We wanted to make sure people could find us on socials in case anyone else has been affected and wants to reach out.’

She already believes that public awareness around methanol poisoning has changed dramatically since White died.

‘Loads of people comment all the time, saying they never knew about it.

‘I’ve had people say, “I went to Bali and saw this, so I avoided spirits.”

‘I imagine we’ve reached millions of people by now.’

Clarke is ‘so glad’ the campaign is coming from a government level, having initially been unsure if that would be possible.

‘Working towards having charity status will hopefully give us more credibility with the help from the government.’

Now, the campaigner hopes that insurers and travel companies will do more to help save the lives of their customers.

She said: ‘Insurers are going to want to avoid their customers having this problem, so if we can work with them and influence people on social media to avoid high-risk drinks, we’re doing what we can.’

On Wednesday, July 15, the Foreign Office launched its new Know the Signs campaign to warn travellers of the danger of methanol.

A total of 29 destinations now have methanol poisoning warnings on the UK government travel advice, including Laos and Vietnam.

Minister for Consular Hamish Falconer MP said: ‘No one expects a holiday to end in tragedy, yet methanol poisoning can have devastating – and sometimes fatal – consequences.

‘The courage of survivors and bereaved families in sharing their experiences will help raise awareness and could save lives.’

Falconer has urged people to ‘check the latest travel advice for your destination and act quickly if something doesn’t feel right’.

‘When drinking spirits overseas, use reputable venues, purchase sealed drinks, and avoid homemade alcohol or free shots.

‘We are working to raise awareness of the warning signs of methanol poisoning and urge anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to seek immediate medical attention, helping British nationals stay safe overseas.’

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