7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji after suspected alcohol poisoning

Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji in a suspected case of alcohol poisoning at a luxury resort, Fijian and Australian officials said Monday.

The guests, who, according to local media, included an American, were hospitalized after they drank cocktails at a bar at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka. The group also included four Australians and two unidentified foreign nationals.

They were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, The Associated Press reported, citing Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson Jemesa Tudravu.

Two people remained stable in the hospital Monday, Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka was quoted as saying by the AP, while five others have been discharged.

The cause of the guests’ illness was not immediately clear, and officials said that until test results were available it was too soon to say whether contaminated alcohol played a role.

The case is similar to one in the Southeast Asian country of Laos last month in which six tourists, including an American and two Australian teenagers, died after they drank alcohol tainted with methanol.

Gavoka said there were no other reports of similar illness at the resort or elsewhere in Fiji, a South Pacific archipelago nation that is home to about 930,000 people. He said the Warwick resort, which is on the Coral Coast of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu, “holds a strong reputation.”

“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,” Gavoka said, according to the AP. 

The Warwick resort said that it takes the safety of its guests “very seriously” and that it was working with authorities to determine what happened.

“As a business that has proudly traded in Fiji for almost 40 years, this is an unprecedented event for us,” the resort management said in a statement.

They said the resort maintains the highest standards of food and beverage safety.

“We remain committed to the health and safety of our guests, and we are with our guests every step of the way as we investigate this unfortunate incident,” the statement said.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers told reporters in Canberra on Monday that four Australians had been hospitalized over the weekend and that Fiji police were investigating to determine the cause of their illnesses.

“We are thinking of the friends and family of the people who are affected. This is no doubt a very distressing time for them,” he said.

David Sandoe, of Australia, whose daughter and granddaughter were among those affected, told Sky News Australia on Monday that they were headed back to Australia after having been cleared for release and that the hotel and Fiji police had been “fantastic” in keeping everyone informed.

Australia has also updated its travel advisory for Fiji to warn about the risk of alcoholic drinks’ being spiked or poisoned with methanol.

“Don’t leave your drinks unattended, pay attention when your drinks are being mixed and get urgent medical help if you suspect that something is wrong,” Chalmers said.