A British backpacker left blind after drinking tainted alcohol which killed six fellow tourists in Laos has spoken out about his ordeal for the first time. Calum Macdonald, 23, survived a mass poisoning at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng last November, where guests were offered free shots of vodka and whiskey.
He told BBC Breakfast that he experienced a 'kaleidoscopic, blinding light' in his eyes while travelling to the border the next day. Initially thinking it was food poisoning, he only realised he had gone blind when his group reached a hotel in Vietnam. He recalled asking why the lights were off when they were already on.
The drinks were contaminated with methanol, a toxic alcohol found in products like antifreeze and varnish, which can be lethal if consumed. The substance can be created accidentally during bootleg alcohol production. Six people died, including British lawyer Simone White, 28, two Danish women, two Australians and a 57-year-old American.
Mr Macdonald is now working with the families of three other Britons who died from methanol poisoning in South East Asia to raise awareness. They have called on the Foreign Office to issue clearer warnings, and a petition by Simone White's travel companion Bethany Clarke seeks to teach pupils about methanol dangers in PHSE lessons.
Experts advise avoiding alcohol from unlabelled bottles or free drinks not seen being poured. Even labelled bottles may be refilled with cheaper alternatives, so sticking to sealed bottles, beers or seltzers is safer. Methanol breaks down into formaldehyde and formic acid, which can damage the optic nerve, cause metabolic acidosis, seizures, organ failure and death.
