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.

Doctors have revealed a common treatment to slow the effects of methanol poisoning. It comes after six people died following a mass methanol poisoning in Laos, including Melbourne teenagers Bianca

Six people have died from methanol poisoning after staying at Nana Backpackers hostel: Simone White, Bianca Jones, Holly Bowles, Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21, Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and James Louis Hutson, 57.

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.

The development comes as the mother of British tourist Simone White, one of the six tourists killed, speaks out for the first time.

T he death of six tourists visiting Laos is suspected to be the result of mass methanol poisoning, after all are believed to have consumed alcoholic drinks tainted with the toxic substance. With officials issuing fresh warnings about the dangers of ingesting methanol, here’s what you should know about what it is and how it affects the body.

The venue is situated outside the capital city Vientiane and is understood to have been making Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey.

Three more staff members from a hostel have been taken into custody after six tourists died from potentially tainted drinks.