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.

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

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.

Holly Bowles, 19, is one of six tourists who have died in Laos from what is believed to be methanol poisoning. She passed away on Friday, the day after her 19-year-old friend Bianca Jones passed away in a Thai hospital.

The Laos government said on Saturday (Nov 23) that it was "profoundly saddened" by the deaths of foreign tourists in Vang Vieng, with the toll from a suspected methanol poisoning incident now at six.

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.

An Australian teenager has become the sixth foreign tourist to die in a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos, as a growing list of countries warned of the potentially fatal consequences of drinking tainted alcohol in the Southeast Asian country.