VANG VIENG, Laos — A New Zealand citizen poisoned after drinking contaminated alcohol in a popular tourist town in Laos has returned home, the authorities said on Nov 25, as Laos pledged to prosecute those responsible for the incident, which has killed six tourists.

"The New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok has been providing assistance to one New Zealander who we believe to have been poisoned with methanol in Laos. They have now departed Laos and returned home," a New Zealand Foreign Ministry spokesperson said by e-mail, without providing further details on the person.

Two Danes, two Australians, a Briton and an American have died from methanol poisoning after visiting Vang Vieng, an idyllic town popular with foreign backpackers.

Mark Jones, father of 19-year-old Australian Bianca Jones, urged officials in the South-east Asian country to take strict action so that similar incidents do not repeat.

"We can't have the passing of our daughter's life not lead to change to protect others," Jones told reporters outside the hospital in Bangkok where his daughter had been transferred after falling sick.

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