Six tourists died in Laos after apparently drinking methanol-tainted drinks. Here's possibly why.

- Illustrative photo: The Nation/ANN

BANGKOK: Two Australian teenagers and a British woman died from suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos. An American man and two Danes also died, though their exact causes of death have not been released.

A New Zealander also has been sickened. The US State Department issued a warning to travellers to be "alert to the potential risk of methanol poisoning.” But what is methanol, and how do you avoid it?