As Laos’ methanol poisoning case begins, victims’ families, friends slam ‘cover-up’

A British man who became blind in the incident says he feels sorry for the families of the six victims who died but is ‘not angry’ any more

Last Friday, the owner of the distillery where the drinks linked to the deaths were thought to have originated was given one charge of running an illegal business and one charge of selling harmful food products, and could face a jail term of between three months and four years if convicted.

The families described the potential punishment as inadequate to reflect the scale of the tragedy, having earlier called for a charge of manslaughter against the owner and bar manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng.

Two Danish nationals, 20-year-old Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman and 21-year-old Freja Vennervald Sørensen, died after drinking suspected methanol-tainted alcohol at the hostel in November 2024.

Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles, both 19-year-old Australians, British lawyer Simone White, 28, and American national James Louis Hutson, 57, also died in the incident.

Foreign media were barred from attending a press conference on July 17, where Laotian authorities announced the charges.

On the same day, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen expressed dissatisfaction with the case.