Laotian police have detained the manager and owner of a hostel after five backpackers, including British lawyer Simone White, died of suspected methanol poisoning in the riverside party town of Van Vieng.

Police in Laos have reportedly arrested the owner of a factory which reportedly supplied the poisoned alcohol that claimed the lives of six backpackers, including a British lawyer. Simone White, 28, died while on holiday with two friends after they accepted free vodka shots from Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng, a popular tourist destination.

Authorities have named the American tourist who was one of five people to die of suspected methanol poisoning at a hostel in Laos. The victim is 57-year-old James Louis Hutson, the BBC reported, citing Laotian authorities.

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.

The mother of a London lawyer who died after drinking contaminated vodka while travelling in Laos has recalled her “horrendous” journey to be at her daughter’s bedside. Simone White, 28, had been backpacking with two childhood friends at Nana Backpackers Hotel in Vang Vieng when she became seriously unwell after accepting a shot of alcohol,

The mother of a British woman who died of methanol poisoning while backpacking with friends told of her ‘horrendous’ 16-hour travel to Laos as her daughter’s life hung in the balance. Sue White, 61, said it was a ‘terrible,