Inquest finds hostel didn’t ‘contaminate’ drinks where British backpacker died

Kent native Simone White was rushed to the hospital after drinking free drinks in a hostel (Picture: PA)

A British backpacker who died from methanol poisoning in Laos did not have her drinks ‘contaminated’ by hostel workers, an inquest has heard.

Simone White, 28, from Orpington, Kent, was one of several people taken to hospital while she had been staying in the popular backpacking town of Vang Vieng.

She died in the hospital on November 21, 2024, along with five other people who died after consuming free drinks served at the Nana Backpacker Hostel – two Australian teenagers, an America...