Latest news with #BethanyClarke
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Methanol poisoning: Why travellers are at risk, and how to reduce the dangers
The government must do more to heighten awareness of the risk of methanol poisoning while abroad: that is the message from family and friends of British victims who consumed drinks spiked with the deadly substance. Six backpackers died in Laos in November 2024 after drinking free shots of spirits tainted with methanol at a hostel in Vang Vienna in Laos. Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from London, lost her life along with two Australians, two Danes and an American. Her travelling companion, Bethany Clarke, is campaigning for greater awareness of the dangers. In July 2022, Kirsty McKie, 38, was working as a ceramicist in Bali when she died after drinking liquor contaminated with methanol. 'Kirsty drank a moderate amount and the results were catastrophic,' says her mother, Margaret McKie. After the inquest in Manchester into her death, the coroner said: "There was little publicity by the UK government of the risk in contrast to the approach taken by the Australian government who had undertaken a campaign to increase awareness to protect their citizens travelling in areas of Asia such as Bali.' Besides these tragedies, in recent years deaths from methanol poisoning have also been reported in other countries including Fiji, India, South Africa and Turkey. The Foreign Office says it will 'will explore more ways to inform British travellers about the risks of methanol'. These are the key questions and answers. What is methanol – and why is it so dangerous? Methanol is a chemically simple form of alcohol, also known as wood spirit or methyl alcohol. Its uses are mainly industrial, such as a fuel and a solvent for paint and plastic. The substance is highly toxic and definitely not for human consumption: if ingested, methanol is processed in the body and becomes formic acid, which attacks the system. The UK Health Security Agency says it causes 'coma, convulsions, blindness, nervous system damage and death'. Just 25ml of methanol – about five teaspoons – can prove fatal. Why would anyone add methanol to drinks? Bluntly, to make money. 'Organised crime regularly doctors drinks,' says Jim Dickson MP, who is working with the families and friends of victims to raise awareness of the risks. Adding methanol boosts the alcohol content, and because it has only a very faint smell and is tasteless you would not know that your drink is contaminated. The Methanol Institute, the worldwide trade association for producers, says: 'Methanol is often deliberately and illegally added to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper alternative to ethanol (normal alcohol that can be consumed) in countries where taxes on legitimate alcohol or the cost of legitimate alcohol might be perceived as too high.' The institute likens methanol spiking to adding petrol to a drink. Poisoning can also happen with home-made alcohol that isn't brewed properly, producing methanol instead of ethanol. What are the symptoms? Beverley Tompkins, travel health nurse for Nomad Travel has written an excellent blog on the dangers of methanol, which says: 'The first signs of poisoning include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, breathing difficulties, tiredness, confusion and dizziness. 'Further symptoms appear 12-48 hours later and can include headaches, blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, tunnel vision or seeing static – like that on an old TV screen – or complete blindness, seizures and coma.' Ms Tompkins says any one of these symptoms is 'a red flag that this is not normal alcohol poisoning'. Urgent hospital medical care must be sought immediately. Treatment includes ethanol ('ordinary' alcohol), a drug called Fomepizole – which stops the methanol turning into formic acid – and dialysis to flush out the system. Where are the biggest risks? The Foreign Office includes information about the risks from methanol poisoning in travel advice pages for five South East Asian nations – Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia – as well as Costa Rica, Fiji and Turkey. The Australian government widens the danger area, saying methanol poisoning 'can be a risk in popular destinations in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe'. What should travellers look out for before drinking? Any situation in which a drink could have been tainted with methanol – or drugs, for that matter. For example, a bar in which shots are poured from open bottles. The Foreign Office warns: 'Say no to drinks from strangers. 'Go to reputable venues. Stick to places with a decent reputation – shady bars aren't worth the risk.' In a relaxed backpacker environment such as a hostel, it is easy to see how travellers could be lulled into a false sense of security. But the dangers extend far beyond the backpacker circuit. Campaigners point out that in Bali, methanol poisoning has been known to affect guests at beach clubs and five-star hotels. 'Drinking at reputable establishments reduces the risk of methanol poisoning, but doesn't eliminate it,' says the Australian government. It urges caution if offered 'unusually cheap or discounted brand-name alcohol'. Margaret McKie, mother of Kirsty McKie, says: 'Kirsty had lived and worked in Bali for years and was well informed about the dangers of methanol. She and her fiance purchased alcohol from a supposedly reputable source that supplied high-end hotels and restaurants.' The Foreign Office minister Catherine West add: 'What is in bottles in supermarkets, in some cases, will not be what is described on the label.' What is the best policy for travellers? If you are in a bar, only consume drinks you can watch being opened and poured. The ideal is canned or bottled beer – in a tropical environment the more fluid the better, too. 'Steer clear, drink beer' is a valuable mantra. If you are buying for consumption in your hostel or hotel, go for a reputable retailer. Avoid anything that could be home brew, and beware of drinks that are significantly cheaper than the market average. The UK government says: 'Check your bottles. Seals should be intact, and labels should look legit (no misspellings or dodgy print).' But campaigners say: 'Branded bottles are often refilled with (home-brewed) alcohol.' Be aware of the initial symptoms of methanol poisoning, including nausea, abdominal pain, breathing difficulties and confusion, so you can help others deal with what is a serious medical emergency.
ITV News
19-05-2025
- ITV News
Traveller who survived alcohol poisoning in Laos campaigns to get issue added to school curriculum
A woman who survived alcohol poisoning in Laos which killed six backpackers, including her friend, said travellers heading abroad this Summer should be aware of the dangers as she campaigned to get issue added to the school curriculum. Bethany Clarke was taken to hospital after allegedly being served drinks laced with methanol in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng last year. Her best friend Simone White, 28, from Orpington died and the government in Laos said it was "profoundly saddened". Speaking to ITV News London Bethany called on the government to do more to educate teenagers in schools about the dangers of drinking alcohol abroad. "For me it's what happens when I'm dead - is this message going to still be delivered in 100 years time?" Bethany told ITV News London. "History has this thing of repeating itself so I guess the idea of all of this is to try and make sure it's in the curriculum so that no one has to go through this again in the future," she explained. Bethany started an online campaign hoping to force a debate in the Commons on whether the dangers of methanol poisoning should be put on the school curriculum. "We're just going to keep going - the petition will expire in October so we're just going to keep pushing, trying to get the message out as much as we can," she added. The government has added methanol poisoning to the list of risks in some countries on its travel advice website. In Laos it says Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey - the spirits the hostel is believed to have served that night - are now Foreign Office advice on its Travel Aware Instagram page is to "stick to sealed drinks". But Bethany wants a stronger message delivered to children at a younger age. She said: "Maybe some kind of reenactment with a film would be quite useful. "Those videos you used to get in school of watching the car crashes and things like that. "I remember them being quite scary at the time and they come back to you many years later - so it just sticks in your head. "And I think that's what we need sometimes, something similar to that." The hostel owner has previously denied shots given at their bar were responsible for the poisoning. Bethany said they ordered five or six shots each over the course of two-and-a-half hours and said the drinks did not taste as strong as she expected, then they started to feel unwell the next day. She described feeling tired and "just not really being able to move the muscles that you want to move when you want to move them". When Simone started being sick, and Bethany fainted, their friend suggested they go to hospital.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The four words survivor of methanol tragedy that killed six tourists wants every backpacker to know
'Steer clear, drink beer'. They're the four words Bethany Clarke wants every backpacker heading to Southeast Asia to remember. That's because six months ago, the 28-year-old Brisbane resident watched her best friend's devastated mother struggle to turn off her daughter's life support in a Laos hospital — and she doesn't want anyone else to go through the same experience. "I just sat there watching her stats on the monitor slowly get lower and lower," Bethany recalled to Yahoo News Australia. Because of the language barrier, the steps required weren't fully communicated, meaning the ordeal took over an hour. "It was just horrendous," she said. Bethany is one of the survivors of the Laos methanol poisoning tragedy that made headlines around the world. Six people died, including Bethany's best friend Simone White, a British lawyer, and the two Melbourne teenagers Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones. It's believed all six victims, as well as other tourists hospitalised at the time, drank the same spirits suspected of being laced with lethal doses of methanol. Bethany and Simone, both from the UK and friends since childhood, were travelling Southeast Asia with another friend David last November when they arrived in Vang Vieng, a Laos backpacker hotspot which had tried to repair what was once a notorious reputation for cheap alcohol and drugs several decades ago. They settled into the Nana Backpackers Hostel before heading down to its bar and enjoying its famous free shots offered every night during happy hour. And while there was nothing that stood out as concerning to her, Bethany did have her reservations. "I remember looking at the sign and thinking 'Christ, the alcohol must be very cheap to be able to make it free for two hours'," Bethany noted. The group went on to consume five to six shots each at the bar. The next day they started to feel off. Booked in for a day of kayaking, they felt lethargic and couldn't muster the energy to do much at all. "Simone and I just had to lie there looking up at the sky," Bethany recalled after getting onto a kayak each. They soldiered on and hours later they were on a bus to the next destination of their holiday but their conditions deteriorated. With Simone repeatedly throwing up and Bethany fainting, their friend David wasn't taking any chances and took them to the nearest hospital. It was there that Simone would then take a turn for the worse. "She started going into respiratory distress and was gasping for breath and couldn't talk," Bethany said. "She couldn't even look at me properly." Now seriously fearing for her welfare in an overcrowded facility, they managed to relocate to a private hospital where they were admitted to the ICU in private rooms. Little did Bethany know, she would never speak with her best friend again. "The next day the doctors told me she was doing better but she'd had a seizure. I contacted her mum Sue by text saying we were in hospital but Simone is doing better now, but we need to wait for her to wake up from sedation. "And of course, she never woke up." Simone's mother flew out as quickly as she could from the UK, and by the time her mum arrived she'd had surgery on her brain to try and alleviate built-up pressure. Despite having just a 20 per cent success rate, it worked. But tragically doctors discovered she would need surgery on the other side of her head after discovering further swelling. Such a procedure would leave her in a coma indefinitely. Without it, she would endure a prolonged death. After four days and assistance from the consulate to convince doctors to agree to her wishes, Sue was allowed to turn off her daughter's life support. While the hospital eventually began to suspect methanol poisoning was the cause of their symptoms, Bethany had no idea she was part of a much-wider tragedy impacting tourists from all around the world. When other backpackers presented to the same hospital with similar symptoms, it soon became apparent this was not an isolated incident. By this point, other tourists and friends of those impacted began leaving desperate warnings about the hostel on Google Reviews. Several posts tried to get the message out there that people who drank at the hostel were ending up in hospital in serious conditions impacting their breathing and vision. But they were met with accusations of slander by the hostel, and soon after, to the dismay of those impacted, the Google reviews vanished. "I didn't even realise that could happen. I was just so surprised... those Google Reviews were supposed to be protecting the public. It's crazy," Bethany said. Not knowing what else to do, she turned to Facebook and left a series of posts in specific groups for travellers in Laos. It was soon after she learned about Melbourne teens Holly and Bianca being taken to Thai hospitals in serious conditions, as well as the two young Danish women Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman and Freja Vennervald Sorensen who were also hospitalised. All four would later die in the tragedy. "While we were there in the hospital there were more and more people coming in and we were thinking 'Jesus Christ, how big is this problem?'" Bethany recalled. Google failed to respond to Yahoo's request for comment about the deleted reviews before publication. Bethany, a self-proclaimed worrier who 'overthinks everything", revealed to Yahoo one "red flag" encounter with the hostel before they'd even arrived could have meant they avoided the deadly bar altogether. When they were at the airport heading to Laos, they realised their room booking wasn't for three people so they called the hostel. But both Simone and Bethany failed to get a straight answer from the receptionist and grew increasingly frustrated with the situation. It was at that point they decided to find alternative accomodation. "I said to Simone we need to book a hotel, so we found one and had it all booked but David in the meantime had managed to sort it out with the hostel and book a three-person room so we had to revert back to the hostel." When they arrived, they were met by someone else who Bethany said was much more accommodating, meaning her reservations about the place were quickly forgotten. But in hindsight, she wishes that red flag had been enough to convince them to move on. "I would have liked to think we wouldn't have gone to the hostel bar if we'd ended up at the hotel, but you just don't know," Bethany told Yahoo. "I kept second guessing everything when it all happened. It's all these should haves, would haves. You can't keep doing it to yourself." Bethany is now campaigning to have methanol education implemented into schools' curriculums in her native UK. The motto of her campaign is "steer clear, drink beer". It is similar to the messaging used by Colin Ahearn, a seasoned campaigner who has worked tirelessly in Australia to warn tourists of the dangers of methanol poisoning overseas, particularly in Bali via his Facebook awareness page "Just Don't Drink Spirits in Bali". The idea of both campaigns is to prevent tourists drinking free-poured spirits. And while the risk is low, there is a chance liquors sold abroad contain methanol, a deadly byproduct of distillation which can be found in bootleg spirits. Just 25ml of methanol consumed can prove fatal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Methanol Awareness for Simone White (@simonewhitemethanolawareness) Over the years Colin has helped guide countless tourists from around the world who experience methanol poisoning, the majority of whom had no idea of what it was beforehand. Colin praised Bethany's courage and determination to make a change, something he's been trying to do with little assistance. Both Colin and Bethany believe more needs to be done by governments, fearing a simple update of their travel advice sites is not enough to protect tourists. Details of the ongoing investigations in Laos are scarce, with even the families of those impacted fed very little information through their respective embassies from Lao authorities. And while Yahoo understands charges against several people involved will be laid, whether that involves charges directly related to the six deaths is unclear, leaving families fearing true accountability for what has taken place won't be achieved. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I watched my best friend die in agony after doing cheap vodka shots while backpacking. Here's what everyone MUST know about drinking abroad - and the hidden signs you've consumed a deadly poison: BETHANY CLARKE
There are nights when Bethany Clarke dreams and her world is just as it always was. On those nights, she is still racing through the bucket list of countries to visit with her lifelong friend Simone White. Ever since they took their first trip together, aged 17, to the Greek island of Rhodes, the pals had embarked on a decade of travels, punctuating their holidays from university and beyond with an array of globetrotting adventures.
9 News
10-05-2025
- Health
- 9 News
Methanol poisoning in Laos killed Bethany's best friend. Now she's calling for change
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A British woman who survived a methanol poisoning in Laos that killed two Australians is pushing for more education on the dangers of bootleg alcohol. Bethany Clarke has returned to Brisbane, grieving the loss of her best friend in the tragedy . CCTV footage captured British best friends Bethany Clarke and Simone White with a group of young travellers laughing and drinking at happy hour at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Laos. CCTV footage captured British best friends Bethany Clarke and Simone White with a group of young travellers laughing and drinking at happy hour at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Laos. (Nine) "We had around five to six vodka shots, which we mixed with Sprite, and I went to bed, I think at about 10.30pm," Clarke told 9News. Within 24 hours, the pair were among at least a dozen to fall critically ill, including two Australian teenagers. "Within 24 hours, she'd gone into respiratory distress, and then that culminated in her having seizures and everything," Clarke said. Bethany and Simone had been friends since childhood. The London-based lawyer even visited Brisbane to see her best friend's newly adopted home in 2023. Now, Bethany is on a mission to educate others on the dangers of methanol. Bethany (right) and Simone (left) had been friends since childhood. (Nine) Doctors without Borders estimates that methanol poisoning accounts for more than 14,000 deaths globally in the last 30 years. The symptoms at first can be similar to those of having too much to drink - nausea, vomiting and stomach pains, but they escalate quickly. It's most prevalent in countries with relaxed liquor laws, where it's sometimes added to alcohol. "If it were in the education system, then we could prevent history from repeating itself as it has done again and again and again," Clarke said. Bethany Clarke is on a mission to educate others on the dangers of methanol. (Nine) Queensland's education minister, John-Paul Langbroek, says students are taught about the dangers of alcohol. "If there needs to be some tweaking about specific topics, for example, this issue of methanol poisoning, which is something that's come up relatively recently, then that's something that we can always look at," he said. Bethany wants Simone's legacy to be saving others. "Simone had so much more to give, so it's that's why I'm doing what I'm doing because I know that she would have done this for me," she said. national Poison Laos Australia Brisbane queensland CONTACT US
