Two Danes, an American and an Australian have died after incident in town popular with backpackers

British tourists are among those being treated in hospital after allegedly being served alcoholic drinks containing deadly methanol in a popular backpacking town in Laos where four people have died and about a dozen others have been taken ill.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement: “We are providing consular assistance to British nationals and their families and are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Laos.”