Key Facts: Two friends drinking free hostel shots in Vang Vieng, Laos, were poisoned by methanol; 28-year-old Simone White fell into a coma and died 11 days later. The incident left multiple travellers dead or permanently injured. Survivor Bethany Clarke has founded MethaKnow and launched a petition to improve public education about the dangers of illicit alcohol.
Methanol-Laced Hostel Shots Kill 28-Year-Old in Laos — Survivor Launches Campaign to Warn Travellers
Simone White, background, and Bethany Clarke tubing in Laos, shortly before they drank contaminated vodka shots at a backpacker hostel
Standing vigil at her friend Simone White’s hospital bed thousands of miles from home, Bethany Clarke could not believe a dream reunion trip to Laos had turned into a nightmare. What began as free vodka-and-lemonade shots at a backpacker hostel ended with Simone, a 28-year-old lawyer from Kent, in a coma from methanol poisoning — and, within days, dead.
Bethany, left, and Simone had been friends since primary school
What Happened
Bethany and Simone grew up less than a mile apart in Orpington and had been close friends since primary school. They reunited for a two-week backpacking trip to Cambodia and Laos after Bethany relocated to Brisbane earlier in 2024. The pair arrived in Vang Vieng in early November and checked into the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
The pair planned their two-week Southeast Asia holiday after Bethany moved to Australia
The first afternoon they floated down the Nam Song river and later returned to the hostel for an advertised happy hour offering free shots. Bethany, Simone and a friend identified in reports as Daniel (name changed) each drank multiple vodka-and-lemonades mixed with canned lemon fizz. Within 24 hours both women felt unwell; their symptoms were originally attributed to a hangover or food poisoning.
Shots taken by Bethany and Simone at their hostel in Laos
Rapid Deterioration and Hospital Treatment
When symptoms worsened — severe fatigue, vomiting, confusion and seizures — paramedics and hospital staff considered methanol poisoning and admitted the three travellers to intensive care. Methanol is a toxic, clear liquid that can cause coma, seizures, blindness and death even in small amounts. Simone underwent haemodialysis in an attempt to remove toxins but soon developed seizures and dangerously raised intracranial pressure.
Simone at the hostel in Laos, before she fell victim to methanol poisoning
Surgeons performed a decompression craniotomy to relieve pressure on her swollen brain, but her condition continued to decline. Clinicians later determined she was brain dead and without prospect of recovery; her life support was switched off on 21 November, 11 days after the contaminated drinks were consumed.
Bethany: 'I still don't fully understand why she died when I survived' - Heathcliff O'Malley
Wider Impact
Simone was not the only fatality linked to the incident at Nana Backpacker that week. At least five other travellers died — Australians Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles (both 19), Danes Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman (20) and Freja Vennervald Sorensen (21), and American James Louis Hutson (57) — and several others sustained severe, life-changing injuries, including a 23-year-old who lost their sight.
Bethany founded campaign group MethaKnow with others whose lives have been forever changed by methanol poisoning, to raise awareness of the dangers - Heathcliff O'Malley
Aftermath, Investigation and Campaigning
Legal investigations in Laos have proceeded slowly. In July, Laotian authorities said they could not conclusively determine whether the deaths were caused by a single individual or another specific factor because autopsies had not been performed. A distillery owner faces charges related to selling food products harmful to health and operating an illegal business, but has not been charged in connection with the fatalities.
Methanol poisoning facts
After Simone’s funeral in January 2025, Bethany launched a petition calling for schools to include education about the risks of methanol and illicit alcohol in their curriculum. She also co-founded MethaKnow, a campaign group of survivors, those harmed by methanol and relatives of victims, to raise awareness among travellers and the travel industry.
Advice and Context
The UK Foreign Office currently lists 29 countries as carrying some risk of methanol poisoning. Bethany, who experienced gastrointestinal illness for weeks but has since recovered physically, urges travellers to be cautious about accepting free or unverified alcohol, to learn the symptoms of methanol poisoning, and to seek immediate medical attention for severe or unusual symptoms after drinking.
"Her death was completely needless," Bethany says. She keeps a diary and writes to Simone as part of her grieving process and hopes that increased awareness will prevent others from suffering similar losses.
*Daniel’s name has been changed
Further government advice and travel guidance is available on official travel pages and embassy websites.
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