- Two Australians died after drinking in a Laos hostel
- Eight employees have been arrested
Police have arrested several staff at a backpacker hotel at the center of the suspected mass poisoning in Laos that claimed the lives of six foreign tourists.
Eight Nana Backpacker Hostel employees, aged between 23 and 47, are in custody after they were arrested by Vang Vieng police on Monday, a local news site reported.
All those detained are believed to be Vietnamese citizens.
Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, were among six foreign tourists who died last week after falling ill.
Jones and Bowles were evacuated to separate hospitals in Bangkok.
Two young Danish women, a British lawyer and an American man in his 50s also died from the contaminated drinks.
Local reports suggest that another 12 foreign tourists were hospitalized after drinking at the Nana Backpacker Hostel.
Early tests indicated that methanol was present in local beer and spirits.
More to come.
