As Laos’ methanol poisoning case begins, victims’ families, friends slam ‘cover-up’

As Laos’ methanol poisoning case begins, victims’ families, friends slam ‘cover-up’A British man who became blind in the incident says he feels sorry for the families of the six victims who died but is ‘not angry’ any more4-MIN READ4-MIN0ListenPublished: 9:30am, 24 Jul 2026Almost two years after six travellers died and one survivor was left blind from suspected methanol-tainted drinks in Laos, the criminal case over the incident is finally proceeding with charges filed against a distillery owner as families of the victims continue to demand answers and stern punishment.Last Friday, the owner of the distillery where the drinks linked to the deaths were thought to have originated was given one charge of running an illegal business and one charge of selling harmful food products, and could face a jail term of between three months and four years if convicted.The families described the potential punishment as inadequate to reflect the scale of the tragedy, having earlier called for a charge of manslaughter against the owner and bar manager of the Nana Backpackers Hostel in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng.Select VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x