Overview

• On August 18, 2025, British survivor Calum Macdonald described a “kaleidoscopic, blinding light” before losing his sight after drinking methanol-contaminated shots in Laos.
• Six tourists died and others suffered permanent blindness after drinking allegedly methanol-tainted free shots at a Vang Vieng hostel in November 2024.
• Laotian authorities have detained former hostel staff and shut a local distillery, and prosecutors plan health and food-safety charges but not homicide-related counts.
• Survivors and bereaved families are urging governments to integrate methanol poisoning education into university curricula and to issue clearer alcohol safety warnings for travellers.
• The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office maintains travel advisories and partners with its Travel Aware campaign to raise awareness of methanol dangers abroad.