There have been more arrests over the methanol poisoning deaths of two young Australians in Laos. Eight Vietnamese staff members from the Nana Backpackers hostel in the tourist town of Vang Vieng were arrested last week and the hostel was shut down.

A factory owner has been arrested by police in a major breakthrough in the mass methanol poisoning in Laos that left six backpackers dead.

Details have been murky over the number of tourists affected and the possible source of the methanol-laced drinks.

Laos has banned the sale and consumption of a local alcohol brand following the death of six foreign tourists due to alleged methanol poisoning.

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.

Two Australian tourists are being treated in Thailand for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after apparently consuming tainted drinks in neighboring Laos.