The deaths of six foreign tourists linked to a suspected mass methanol poisoning has thrown a spotlight on a small town in Southeast Asia that has worked hard in recent years to shed its reputation for excess.

Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent, was one of a number of people taken to hospital after the incident in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng last week

At least six tourists who traveled to Laos have died in recent days, prompting international alarm about the dangers of consuming alcoholic drinks that contain methanol.

Eight staff members of a backpacker hostel in Laos have been detained by local authorities as they investigate the deaths of six foreign tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, according to state-affiliated media in the Southeast Asian country.

Laos party-goers are on edge and sticking to beer after six tourists were killed by 'methanol poisoning', with backpackers in the south-east Asian town in Laos speaking of their experiences

The U.S., Australia and U.K. have issued warnings for travelers in Vang Vieng after several tourists died in a suspected methanol poisoning outbreak.

Police in Laos have arrested eight people over the suspected mass methanol poisoning which killed six foreign tourists in backpacking hotspot Vang Vieng.

Southeast Asia has the "highest rates of methanol poisoning globally", said Al Jazeera, and this is often blamed on "economic pressures and weak regulations". Laos, despite its increasing popularity with backpackers, is one of the poorest nations in the region.

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.