A Laos government document obtained by the ABC suggests the source of a methanol poisoning outbreak that killed six tourists is a rundown factory outside of Vientiane that was making vodka and whisky.

Eight staff members of a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained by local authorities as they investigate the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, according to state-affiliated media in the Southeast Asian country.

Police in Laos have arrested eight people over the suspected mass methanol poisoning which killed six foreign tourists in backpacking hotspot Vang Vieng.

Staff from a backpacker hostel have been detained after six tourists died from suspected methanol poisoning after a night out.View on euronews

The U.S., Australia and U.K. have issued warnings for travelers in Vang Vieng after several tourists died in a suspected methanol poisoning outbreak.

T he death of six tourists visiting Laos is suspected to be the result of mass methanol poisoning, after all are believed to have consumed alcoholic drinks tainted with the toxic substance. With officials issuing fresh warnings about the dangers of ingesting methanol, here’s what you should know about what it is and how it affects the body.

The problem with methanol poisoning is that it looks very much like alcohol poisoning. And delays in treatment can be fatal.

The US State Department issued a warning to travelers to be “alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning.” But what is methanol, and how do you avoid it?

Six tourists from Australia, Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom died in Laos due to methanol poisoning. In response to these tragic events, the country's authorities banned the sale and consumption of a specific brand of vodka and whiskey.