Two Australian women are left fighting for their lives after methanol poisoning in a hostel in Laos

Two young women are fighting for their lives in Thailand, suspected of drinking poisoned cocktails.

The women from Melbourne, both believed to be 19 years old, were staying at a hostel in the Laotian capital Vientiane – near Thailand’s northern border – when their drinks were apparently spiked with methanol.

The young women, best friends who graduated from Beaumaris Secondary College last year, had reportedly been traveling since the college broke up this year.

They are now being treated in separate hospitals in Udon Thani and Bangkok.

Two more people are feared dead and 10 others sick due to methanol poisoning in the area.

Another affected traveler reported that six people were admitted to her hospital in Vientiane after being poisoned by methanol in Vang Vieng, a smaller town north of Vientiane.

‘Stay safe guys and avoid free shots from bars as they are likely local spirits. It is possible that some of the vodka is contaminated with a higher dose of methanol than normal,” she warned travelers.

Methanol is commonly used as a gasoline additive and as an industrial solvent in insecticides, some types of paint strippers and glass cleaner. Drinking just 25-90 ml of the substance can be fatal.

Symptoms of methanol poisoning include abdominal pain, vomiting, breathing difficulties, blindness and seizures.

In countries with high taxes on alcohol, the chemical is often mixed with alcoholic drinks as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, according to the Methanol Institute.

This is a breaking news story. There’s more to come