The BBC
A British lawyer has died after a suspected methanol poisoning that is thought to have killed four others in Laos, south-east Asia.
Simone White, 28, from Orpington, south-east London, was among a number of people taken to hospital following the incident in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.
In a statement, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was supporting her family.
Earlier, Bianca Jones, 19, from Australia, was confirmed to have died while the US State Department said an American had died. Two Danish women aged 19 and 20 also died last week, Danish authorities said.
News reports and testimonies on social media from other tourists have suggested they may have consumed drinks laced with methanol, a deadly substance often found in bootleg alcohol.
Many of the victims were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel with staff being told that guests had fallen ill after they failed to check out on 13 November.
Ms White was a lawyer with global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, whose work involved general commercial matters, contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law issues according to the firm’s website.
Vang Vieng is a small, riverside town in central Laos, about two hours north of the capital Vientiane.
It is a hub for backpackers travelling across south-east Asia. It’s home to the Banana Pancake Trail – a popular backpacking route spanning Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
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