A British lawyer has died in Laos, south-east Asia, after suspected methanol poisoning is believed to have caused the deaths of four other people.

Simone White, 28, from Orpington, south-east London, was among those taken to hospital after the incident in the tourist town of Vang Vieng.

In a statement, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was supporting her family.

Earlier, the death of 19-year-old Bianca Jones of Australia was confirmed, while the US State Department said that an American had died. Danish authorities said two Danish women, aged 19 and 20, also died last week.

News reports and testimony from other tourists on social media suggested that they may have consumed drinks laced with methanol, a deadly substance often found in illicit liquor.

Many of the victims were staying at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, where staff were told that guests had fallen ill after failing to check-out on November 13.

Ms. White was an attorney with global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, whose work included general commercial matters, contentious and non-contentious intellectual property law issues, according to the firm’s website.

Vang Vieng is a small, riverside town in central Laos, about two hours north of the capital, Vientiane.

It is a hub for backpackers traveling in South-East Asia. It is home to the Banana Pancake Trail – a popular backpacking route spanning Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Ms Jones’s friend Holly Bowles, also Australian, is in hospital on life support, according to Australian media reports.

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry told local media on Thursday that one of its citizens was also unwell from suspected methanol poisoning.

The Dutch foreign ministry said a Dutch tourist was flown to hospital and is in stable condition. It is not clear how many other people have fallen ill.

The US State Department said it was “closely monitoring” the situation regarding the American victim and that it was up to local authorities to determine the cause of death.

Australian, new zealandAnd UK Authorities have warned their citizens to beware of methanol poisoning when consuming alcohol in Laos.

Methanol is a colorless liquid that tastes like alcohol.

Drinking relatively small amounts of alcohol can be fatal.

It is absorbed in the intestine within a few minutes and then enters the bloodstream. As the body attempts to clear the methanol – breaking it down or metabolizing it in the liver – an enzyme converts it into formaldehyde and formic acid.

Professor Alastair Hay, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, says this has major consequences, affecting breathing and attacking nerves.

Partial or complete blindness from methanol poisoning is common, and if left untreated, it can lead to coma and death.

Toxicity can be treated by using alcohol (Ethanol) to overcome the methanol metabolism. But this work will have to be done quickly.