UK issues travel warning after British woman died after taking free shots on holiday
British tourists are being warned of the dangers of taking free shots on holiday, after a 28-year-old woman sadly died.
Simone White had been enjoying a night out with her friend, Bethany Clarke in Vang Vieng in Laos, in November 2024.
The pair were offered shots of booze during their fun night out, however they both became severely ill the next day.
Initially, they thought it was just a major hangover, but it sadly turned fatal for Simone.
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It emerged that they had both drunk shots allegedly containing methanol.
There is now a new government campaign hoping to raise awareness of the risks, so it doesn't happen to anyone else, called Know The Signs.
Some 29 popular holiday destinations now have methanol poisoning warnings, including backpacking destinations such as Laos and Vietnam.
Minister for Consular Hamish Falconer MP said: "No one expects a holiday to end in tragedy, yet methanol poisoning can have devastating – and sometimes fatal – consequences.
‘The courage of survivors and bereaved families in sharing their experiences will help raise awareness and could save lives."
He stressed people should 'act quickly if something doesn’t feel right’.
"When drinking spirits overseas, use reputable venues, purchase sealed drinks, and avoid homemade alcohol or free shots," he advised.
"We are working to raise awareness of the warning signs of methanol poisoning and urge anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to seek immediate medical attention, helping British nationals stay safe overseas."
Bereaved Bethany has praised the news of the campaign, in hopes that some good comes from the death of her friend.
It comes after the UK government backed her ‘MethaKnow’ campaign, after she applied for charitable status.
Bethany said of their involvement with the campaign: "We had a couple of the campaigners involved: Calum, who lost his eyesight, and Margaret McKie, who lost her daughter Kirsty, who both went on BBC Breakfast."
"This coincided with the launch of our campaign, MethaKnow," she added.
"We wanted to make sure people could find us on socials in case anyone else has been affected and wants to reach out."
She said more people have been impacted than most of us think: "Loads of people comment all the time, saying they never knew about it."
"I’ve had people say, “I went to Bali and saw this, so I avoided spirits, I imagine we’ve reached millions of people by now," she added, hopefully.
The laced shots also claimed the lives of an Australian teenager, Bianca Jones, as well as American man and two Danish tourists.
Simone was just 28-years-old, and had worked as a lawyer before heading off on the backpacking trip.
The group had taken the free drinks at the Nana Backpacker Hostel before the incident, with Simone suffering from irreversible brain damage.
However, the Assistant coroner for South London, Sebastian Naughton, revealed that Australian Federal Police (AFP) ‘advised there is no evidence that the hostel workers were involved in contaminating the drink with methanol’, according to Metro.
Speaking in May, he added: "The investigators have referred charges to prosecutors under the Laos criminal law for various articles for the factory distillery owner, based on test results from various samples from the hostel and the factory and information provided by the AFP."
Jen Thomas