(Reuters) - A New Zealand citizen poisoned after drinking contaminated alcohol in a popular tourist town in Laos has returned home, authorities said on Monday, as Laos pledged to prosecute those responsible for the incident which has killed six tourists.

A little town known as a backpacker paradise in northern Laos has come under spotlight for a mass poisoning case that has killed at least six tourists and potentially injured scores of others

A New Zealand citizen who fell ill after drinking contaminated alcohol in Laos has returned home following the deaths of six tourists due to supected methanol poisoning. New Zealand’s foreign ministry had earlier reported that one of its citizens fell ill in Laos and was believed to be a victim of the poisoning.