Survivor of Laos methanol poisoning gives update on case and urges for greater action

Eight months after thetragic death of her friend, the founder of the Simone White Methanol Awareness campaign has shared major updates on the police case and UK education reform.Bethany Clarke, a survivor of the 2024 Laos methanol poisoning tragedy that claimed six lives, says that the campaign has achieved their goal to update UK curriculum but that “our work has not stopped”.

Clarke has been a staunch advocate of methanol poisoning awareness in the UK over the last year. She has appeared on multiple news outlets to demand curriculum updates and public health measures to highlight the dangers and symptoms of counterfeit alcohol.

Through the SWMA campaign, Clarke created a UK Parliamentary petition to update the UK school curriculum. After garnering over 12k signatures for the petition as well as backing from over two dozen MPs, Clarke says the campaign has "achieved their goal".

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“From September 2026 it will be mandatory for young people in schools to be educated about the dangers of methanol poisoning,” Clarke shared. The UK Relationships, Sex Education and Health (RSEH) curriculumwill subsequently include guidance on how to decrease the risks of poisoning from potentially fatal substances, naming methanol as an example.

Still, Clarke says: “we still need more awareness - our work hasn’t stopped”. She says posters to understand the symptoms of methanol poisoning in UK airports are necessary. Following the Laos tourist fatalities, the Australian government launched a new safety campaign to raise awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol overseas. As of March 2025, young travellers receive alerts on social media, text messages and see educational signage at international airports.

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To address this gap, Clark has started a new change.org petition to encourage the UK to adopt new public safety measures, including leaflets and posters to drive awareness about the risks of methanol poisoning and symptoms of counterfeit alcohol consumption.

Clarke is also hopeful that Australia - the home of two of the Laos poisoning victims - will also include methanol poisoning awareness in their school curriculum. The petition also pushes airlines to include information about methanol poisoning in their inflight magazines.

Laos police investigation update

In November, Laos authorities promised an investigation into the deaths of Simone and Australians Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, Freja Vennervald Sorensen, both from Denmark, and US national James Louis Hutson.

Following the deaths, eight workers, including the manager of the Nana hostel, were detained for questioning by police but were later released. The manager denied any responsibility, saying hundreds of guests had been given shots without becoming unwell, as reported by the BBC.

The BBC reported in June, that it had seen an email from the Australian government stating that authorities in Laos had proposed charges against 13 people over food safety breaches.

Clarke said that the backpackers’ hostel is now set to reopen under a new name in August 2025, while a new listing for Vang Vieng Central Backpacker Hostel has appeared on travel websites Tripadvisor and Agoda.

In a statement to The Mirror, TripAdvisor said it received a request to change the name of the hostel to Vang Vieng in June. However, because the owner was not able to provide evidence to prove a change in ownership, all previous reviews for Nana Backpacker Hostel are being posted to the new listing.

TripAdvisor confirmed that anyone who previously stayed at Nana Backpacker Hostel is still able to submit a review on this listing under the new name.

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