Fijian and Australian officials said Monday that seven international visitors were admitted to a luxury resort in Fiji due to a suspected incidence of alcohol poisoning.
After consuming cocktails at a bar at the five-star Warwick resort close to the town of Sigatoka, the visitors—among whom, according to local media, was an American—were admitted to the hospital. Two unnamed foreign nationals and four Australians were also in the group.
According to The Associated Press, which quoted Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson Jemesa Tudravu, they were admitted to the hospital due to neurological symptoms, nausea, and vomiting.
According to the AP, Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka stated that five patients had been released from the hospital on Monday, while two remained stable.
Officials stated that it was too soon to determine whether tainted alcohol was a contributing factor in the guests’ illness until test results were available.
This situation is comparable to one that occurred last month in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos, when six tourists—including two adolescents from Australia and the United States—died after consuming alcohol laced with methanol.
According to Gavoka, no other cases of the same sickness have been reported at the resort or anywhere else in Fiji, a country of around 930,000 people in the South Pacific archipelago. According to him, the Warwick resort, located on Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji, on the Coral Coast, has a solid reputation.
According to the AP, Gavoka stated, “The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests.”
The resort in Warwick stated that it takes visitor safety extremely seriously and that it is collaborating with law enforcement to ascertain the cause of the incident.
“This is an unprecedented event for us as a company that has proudly traded in Fiji for nearly 40 years,” the resort management stated in a statement.
According to them, the resort upholds the strictest guidelines for the safety of its food and drinks.
The statement read, “We are with our guests every step of the way as we investigate this unfortunate incident, and we remain committed to the health and safety of our guests.”
Four Australians were hospitalized over the weekend, and Fiji police were looking into what caused their sickness, Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
We are keeping the impacted individuals’ friends and family in our thoughts. He stated that they are undoubtedly going through a very trying moment.
Australian David Sandoe, whose daughter and granddaughter were among those impacted, told Sky News Australia on Monday that the hotel and Fiji police had done a great job of keeping everyone updated and that they were returning to Australia after being given the all-clear to leave.
Additionally, Australia has revised its travel advise for Fijito, alerting travelers to the possibility of methanol poisoning or tampering with alcoholic beverages.
Chalmers advised not to leave your beverages alone, to pay attention when they are being mixed, and to seek immediate medical assistance if you think something is off.
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