Six people have died from methanol poisoning after staying at Nana Backpackers hostel: Simone White, Bianca Jones, Holly Bowles, Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and James Louis Hutson, 57.

The development comes as the mother of British tourist Simone White, one of the six tourists killed, speaks out for the first time.

The mother of a British lawyer who died of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos has described her race from the UK to be by her daughter’s side as she underwent brain surgery. Simone White, 28, was one of six tourists who died after drinking alcoholic drinks which are believed to have been laced with methanol in Vang Vieng.

Southeast Asia has the "highest rates of methanol poisoning globally", said Al Jazeera, and this is often blamed on "economic pressures and weak regulations". Laos, despite its increasing popularity with backpackers, is one of the poorest nations in the region.

T he death of six tourists visiting Laos is suspected to be the result of mass methanol poisoning, after all are believed to have consumed alcoholic drinks tainted with the toxic substance. With officials issuing fresh warnings about the dangers of ingesting methanol, here’s what you should know about what it is and how it affects the body.

The U.S., Australia and U.K. have issued warnings for travelers in Vang Vieng after several tourists died in a suspected methanol poisoning outbreak.

Six tourists, including an American, have now died from suspected methanol poisoning after allegedly drinking tainted alcohol in Laos, per reports

The document suggests the source of a methanol poisoning outbreak that killed six tourists is a rundown factory outside the capital, Vientiane, that was making vodka and whisky.