Australian tourists hospitalized after apparent severe alcohol poisoning in Laos party town

VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — Two Australian tourists are being treated in Thailand for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after consuming tainted drinks in neighboring Laos, Australian media reported Tuesday.

The two 19-year-old women were on a backpacking vacation in Laos when they became ill in the tourist town of Vang Vieng, The Age newspaper in the women’s hometown of Melbourne reported.

Duong Duc Toan, manager of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, said Tuesday that staff were told by other guests that the women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on Nov. 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them.

He said that two days earlier the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality. He said no other guest reported any issue, adding that the women had then gone for a night out, returning in the early hours of the morning.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand, but couldn't provide further information for privacy reasons.

“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply distressing time,” the office said.

They were then transported to Thailand and are being treated at hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani, The Age reported. Their parents have flown in to be with them.

It wasn't clear what the two drank, but methanol is sometimes used as the alcohol in mixed drinks at disreputable bars and can cause severe poisoning or death.

Vang Vieng is a tourist town particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports. Businesses appeared to be going on as usual Tuesday evening in the surrounding neighborhood of the hostel bustling with bars and food stalls.

Jasmine Antonius, a Dutch tourist who has been in Vang Vieng for three days, said that she tried to become more careful with drinks after she heard about the case.

“I think sometimes you’re not really watching how your drinks are being made,” she said. “I feel now it’s a wake up call for many people since this happened. So I hope people would take more precaution because it’s really sad.”

It wasn't immediately possible to verify reports that other tourists were also poisoned in the same incident.

Toan, the hostel manager, said he hoped the investigation would clear its name, but for now the hostel has stopped giving free shots to its guests.

Foreign tourists relax at a swimming pool at Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Duong Duc Toan, the manager of Nana Backpack hostel sits in the bar of the hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A foreign tourist buys coffee at Nana Backpack hostel bar in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A woman swipes the floor as foreign tourists check out of Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Duong Duc Toan, the manager of Nana Backpack hostel displays a bottle of vodka, in the bar of the hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists relax at a swimming pool at Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A notice displayed at the bar of Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart ratcheted up sales and profits again in the third quarter with its comparatively low prices proving a powerful draw for shoppers seeking to cut spending where they could.

The nation’s largest retailer raised its outlook for the year as well, underscoring its confidence in a strong holiday shopping season. The company's shares rose nearly 4% in premarket trading Tuesday.

Walmart is among the first major U.S. retailers to report quarterly results and provides a peek into how Americans are feeling as they head into the holiday season.

Industry analysts expect consumers to show up in force, though sales may not meet last year spending levels by Americans.

A post-pandemic inflation spike sent prices about 20% higher overall compared with three years ago and it soured Americans’ outlook on the economy, a key reason given by voters for sending Donald Trump back to the White House.

Yet even as many complained of how costs have strained household budgets, strong consumer spending, continues to drive steady growth in the U.S. economy. Retail sales rose 0.4% from September to October, the Commerce Department said Friday, a solid increase though it was half of the previous month’s jump.

Walmart, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, reported net income of $4.58 billion, or 57 cents per share, in the three months ended Oct. 31. That compares with $453 billion, or 6 cents per share in the year-ago period.

Adjusted earnings were 58 cents per share, five cents better than Wall Street had expected, according to a survey by FactSet.

Sales rose 5.5% to $169.59 billion, up from $160.8 billion in the year-ago period, and also easily beat analyst projections.

Comparable store sales — which include online and stores open for the past 12 months — rose 5.3% in the U.S. That is an acceleration from the 4.2% jump in the U.S. in the second quarter and 3.8% in the first quarter.

Sales reflect broad-based strength across all product categories and physical and digital channels, the company said.

The number of transactions and the average amount customers spent during each of those transactions at Walmart was higher in this quarter than it was during the same three months last year.

Global e-commerce sales rose 27%, compared with 21% in the fiscal second and first quarter.

Analysts will be sifting through Walmart’s results and may seek more information from company executives regarding Trump’s proposed tariffs during a conference call Tuesday. Trump has vowed that he’ll put a 60% tariff on goods from China — and a tariff of up to 20% on everything else the United States imports.

Companies have already rerouted some production away from China, but an aggressive trade policy could accelerate those plans.

Shoe brand Steve Madden announced earlier this month that it will be be cutting the goods that it imports from China by as much as 45% next year.

For the current fiscal year, Walmart expects earnings per share in the range of $2.42 to $2.47. That’s up from its August projections for per-share earnings of between $2.35 and $2.43. Analysts expect $2.45 per share, according to FactSet.

The company also expects sales to increase by 4.8% to 5.1% for the year, up from a range of 3.75% to 4.75%.

FILE - People buy groceries at a Walmart Superstore in Secaucus, New Jersey, July 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)

FILE - People walk by the Walmart booth during the CES tech show on Jan. 9, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)