I was having the time of my life on a backpacking trip across Asia — until my friend was killed with bootleg alcohol
The best friend of a British woman who died after drinking bootleg alcohol abroad has told of the terrifying moment they realized they had been poisoned.
Bethany Clarke and her lifelong friend Simone White, both from Orpington, southeast London, were on a night out in Laos in November when six shots resulted in tragedy.
Simone died after unknowingly consuming bootleg alcohol – believed to have contained methanol – while travelling in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng. She was just 28.
Now living in Brisbane, Bethany, also 28, has launched a petition to raise awareness about the dangers of methanol poisoning, calling for essential education in UK schools.
The friends had been backpacking across Southeast Asia, starting in Cambodia and had journeyed into Laos full of excitement.
They had spent the day tubing down the river – a popular tourist activity – before returning to their hostel for a night of drinking.
Bethany said: “We had methanol-laced shots. We had five or six each, just mixing them with Sprite.
“The next morning, we didn’t feel right, but we just assumed it was a hangover.
“It was strange though – unlike any hangover I’d had before.
“It felt like being drunk but in a way where you couldn’t enjoy it. Something was just off.”
Despite their condition, they continued with their plans, heading to the Blue Lagoon and kayaking down the river again.
Bethany added: “We were just lying on the backs of the kayaks, too weak to paddle. Simone was being sick off one of them.
“Neither of us wanted to swim or eat – which, we later learned, are early signs of methanol poisoning.”
It wasn’t until hours later, after they’d boarded a bus to their next destination, that things worsened with Bethany fainting and Simone continuing to vomit.
Eventually, they were taken to a local hospital – one that Bethany described as “very poor.”
She added: “They had no idea what was wrong, they talked about food poisoning, but we hadn’t eaten the same things. It didn’t make sense.”
Still confused and deteriorating, the group made it to a private hospital. But by then it was too late.
Bethany added: “They told me they’d do all they could to save her. She was having seizures during dialysis.
“I was told at one point there was a 70 percent chance she’d recover. I still had hope.”
When Simone’s condition worsened, her mother, Sue White, flew out to Laos, arriving just as her daughter was being wheeled into emergency brain surgery.
Bethany added: “Her brain had started to swell, and they had to shave her head. The surgery relieved the pressure but caused bleeding and the other side started swelling.”
The results confirming methanol poisoning wouldn’t arrive until two weeks later. By then, Simone had died.
Bethany is now petitioning for methanol and bootleg alcohol awareness to be included in schools – teaching students the dangers of consuming unregulated drinks abroad.
She said: “With methanol poisoning, you don’t think straight. It’s like dementia – you can’t make decisions, and you can’t problem-solve.
“Organised crime is rife, you think alcohol is safe – but unless it’s beer or alcohol you have purchased from duty free, anything else consumed is a gamble.
“People have died in restaurants, even after buying bottles from supermarkets. You just never know.”
Bethany and her team are planning a hard-hitting educational video, similar in tone to the drink-driving PSAs shown in schools.
So far, her petition has received over 3,000 signatures towards their goal of 10,000.
Bethany added: “Even if people can’t sign the petition, I want them to know about the risks.”
