Free shots of death: Brit blinded in Laos methanol horror (video)
Backpacker blinded as methanol-laced drinks kill 6 tourists
A dream backpacking adventure in Laos turned into a nightmare when a 23 year old Brit was left permanently blind after drinking poisoned spirits at a hostel in Vang Vieng. The poisoning, which struck in November last year, claimed six foreign lives in total.
Calum Macdonald, from the UK, was one of several travellers served free whisky and vodka shots laced with methanol last November. Within hours, he began experiencing strange symptoms.
“I remember having this sort of kaleidoscopic, blinding light in my eyes, to the point where I couldn’t see anything,” Macdonald told BBC Breakfast.
On a bus journey into Vietnam, his sight rapidly deteriorated. When his group reached their hotel in Hanoi, the young Brit believed they were sitting in darkness—but the lights were already on.
“I said to my friends, ‘Why are we sitting in the dark?’ They told me the light was, in fact, already on.”
Soon after, the British man collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.
Six other tourists died in the same mass poisoning, including 28 year old Simone White from Kent. Others who perished were two Danish students, two Australian teenagers, and an American man.
Methanol is sometimes used as a cheap substitute for ethanol in unregulated alcohol. Even small amounts—as little as half a shot—can cause permanent blindness, organ failure or death.
Macdonald, who lost more than his sight that night, is now campaigning for stronger warnings to travellers, particularly students on gap years, reported BBC News and Daily Mail.
“I feel a responsibility, as someone lucky enough to survive, to get the message out. If I’d known about methanol, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
White’s best friend, Bethany Clarke, who also fell ill after drinking the free shots, is leading a petition calling for methanol awareness to be taught in schools.
“We had five or six shots, just mixing them with Sprite. The next day, we didn’t feel right. It was unlike any hangover I’d ever had.”
The UK’s Foreign Office acknowledged methanol poisoning as a “serious problem” in Southeast Asia and said it is working to raise awareness through its Travel Aware campaign.
Macdonald, now adapting to life with a cane and awaiting a guide dog, says he hopes sharing his story will save lives.
“There are lots of lovely beers in Southeast Asia. Avoid free spirits altogether—it’s just not worth the risk.”
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