The bodies of Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles have been returned home following their deaths in Thailand. They were accompanied by their families who arrived back in Australia just hours after police arrested eight men over the suspected methanol poisonings,

The fatal poisoning of at least six people, including two Australians, in Laos has triggered a police operation at tourist bars in a Thai city popular with travellers. Australian teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19, died last week after falling critically ill while holidaying together in the city of Vang Vieng.

A third Australian has fallen ill after consuming methanol-laced alcohol in Laos. So far, six people have died and eight arrests have been made in what is suspected to be a mass methanol poisoning.

The father of Bianca Jones, a 19-year-old Australian who was one of six tourists killed in a methanol poisoning incident in Laos, has urged authorities to conduct a full investigation into the tragedy,

Southeast Asia has the "highest rates of methanol poisoning globally", said Al Jazeera, and this is often blamed on "economic pressures and weak regulations". Laos, despite its increasing popularity with backpackers, is one of the poorest nations in the region.

Officials arrested eight hostel workers in Laos on Monday for allegedly poisoning travelers with methanol according to reports from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Tourists reported illnesses after consuming alcohol in the town of Vang Vieng,

Bodies of Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles brought home as Laos police arrest eight people over suspected methanol poisoning.