Laos, an opaque communist state that tightly controls its media, did not issue a public statement on the scandal until more than a week after the first death, and it remains unclear how widespread the poisonings were. On Tuesday, CNN affiliate Nine News reported that a third Australian who fell ill was recovering in hospital in a stable condition.

Reviews warning travellers about a Laos hostel at the centre of suspected methanol poisonings which killed six people appear to have been deleted.