A young Australian tourist is the fourth to die

Australian teenager Bianca Jones has become the fourth tourist to die in a suspected poisoning incident in Laos.

The family of the child, 19, confirmed to the media about his death on Thursday. A few hours earlier, the US State Department told the media that an American man had died in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.

Two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, also died last week in Laos, Danish authorities confirmed, declining to share more due to privacy concerns.

The deaths are still under investigation by police, but news reports and online testimony from other guests suggest they may have drunk drinks laced with methanol, a deadly substance often found in bootleg alcohol.

Methanol poisoning from cheap alcholol is not uncommon in Southeast Asia. It has they were hospitalized until they killed a lot in Indonesia years ago, but it has happened rarely affected guests.

Vang Vieng is a small, riverside town in central Laos and a hub for young Western backpackers in Southeast Asia. It is home to the Banana Pancake Trail – a popular backpacking route that connects Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Jones’ friend Holly Bowles is in hospital for treatment, while a British woman is also reported to be in hospital.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told local media on Thursday that one of its citizens is also unwell due to suspected methanol poisoning. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands said that the Dutch tourist was sent to the hospital but is in a satisfactory condition. It is not clear how many others have fallen ill.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Department of Foreign Affairs had confirmed Jones’ death.

“Our first thoughts at this moment are with his family and friends who are grieving this brutal loss,” Albanese said Thursday afternoon.

“This is every parent’s worst fear and a nightmare that no one should have to endure.”

He said he hoped that Ms. Bowles, who is currently in a hospital in Bangkok, would recover.

The US State Department said it was “closely monitoring” the situation regarding the American victim, adding that it was up to local authorities to determine the cause of his death.

Australian, New Zealand again In the UK authorities have warned their citizens to be aware of methanol poisoning when drinking alcohol in Laos.

The Nana Backpacker Hostel, where the two Australian women are staying in Vang Vieng, told the BBC it has been closed pending a police investigation.

A hostel manager told The Associated Press that the two women were among more than 100 guests who received free shots of Lao vodka at the hostel. The two then left at night, he said, adding that no other guests had reported health problems.

The manager said he hoped that the investigation would clear the name of the hostel, but he said that at the moment they have not said anything for free.

In a statement to Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper, Jones’ family expressed “deep gratitude for the outpouring of support, love and prayers we have received from across Australia”.

“We ask for privacy as we work through our grief and begin to heal,” the statement said.

Unlike ethanol, the main component of alcoholic beverages, methanol is toxic to humans. Bootleg brewers sometimes add it to their drinks, however, as a cheap way to increase the alcohol content.

At the beginning of this year, at least 57 people died in India after drinking alcohol containing methanol. Similar cases of poisoning have been reported around the world, from the Philippines to Peru.