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Eight people have been arrested by Laos police in relation to a suspected mass-poisoning event that killed two Melbourne teenagers Laos media have reported.
The head of security forces of Vang Vieng district Phut Buathong Boriban reportedly told local media eight staff members, including management, from NANA Backpackers Hostel, where all of the six victims are understood to have stayed, have been detained amid investigations.
The eight men from Vangvieng are aged between 23 and 47 years old, according to Laos media outlet Laophattana News.
READ MORE: More victims of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos named
Melbourne teens Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19, died last week after consuming a suspected methanol-tainted drink in Laos during a backpacking trip.
Their bodies are being transported back to Australia from Thailand, where they died in separate hospitals.
US man James Louis Hutson, 57, British lawyer Simone White, 28, and Danes Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Frela Vennervald Sorensen, 21 have been named as the other victims of the suspected poisoning.
It's understood some guests at NANA Backpackers Hostel had been given free shots at the hostel bar on November 11, before a number of backpackers, including Bowles and Jones, continued onto other bars.
READ MORE: Father of missing Hawaii woman found dead in Los Angeles, police say
Bowles and Jones then stayed in their hostel room for the whole day on November 12 and failed to check out as scheduled on November 13.
They were rushed to hospital after raising the alarm about their conditions with hostel staff.
It is believed all six victims consumed drinks tainted with methanol, which is not intended for consumption and is frequently used as fuel and in products such as antifreeze.
Consuming just 25 to 90 millilitres of methanol can be fatalccording to the Methanol Institute.
