Seven foreigners inside Fiji ended up in the hospital after drinking pina coladas at a resort bar and fell ill over the weekend, authorities confirmed Monday.
The cocktails were served in the five-star hotel Warwick Resort on Saturday, according to local news reports. It is unclear whether the rum-based drinks were served with tainted alcohol and the cause of the illnesses is not yet known.
Fiji’s Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka told reporters that those hospitalized included four Australians and one American. The other two are foreigners living in Fiji. While five have been discharged, two people remain conscious and in stable condition in hospital.
Jemesa Tudrave, a spokeswoman for Fiji’s Ministry of Health, said those affected were hospitalized with vomiting, nausea and neurological symptoms.
The incident occurred weeks after Death of six tourists in the Southeast Asian state of Laos because of Suspected methanol poisoning.
Brent Hill, Fiji’s tourism chief, told RNZ that while they were aware of the Laos case, the situation in Fiji “far from it.”
Gavoka said toxicology test results were still pending and should be available in about three to four days, but stressed that there were no other reports of similar illnesses at the resort or across the island nation.
“Resort management has assured us that it has not engaged in practices such as substitution of ingredients or changing the quality of drinks served to guests,” Gavoka said in a statement.
“That’s that only reported case “This is the kind of disaster we have experienced recently and there has certainly been nothing like it this year,” he continued.
Get national news daily
Receive the most important news as well as headlines from politics, business and current affairs in your inbox once a day.
The Warwick Fiji Hotel said in a statement to the BBC that it was “Suspected alcohol poisoningand took it “very seriously.” The hotel said it was “conducting a thorough investigation” and was awaiting a “test result report” from health authorities to “gather all necessary information.”
Sydney resident David Sandoe told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he received a call with his message The hospital patients also included a daughter and granddaughter. He confirmed to the outlet that they both drank pina coladas before getting sick.
“A group of them were in the lounge of this resort and they were drinking a similar cocktail and unfortunately seven people became ill with the symptoms discussed,” Sandoe said.
— With files from The Associated Press
&Copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
