Seven foreigners in Fiji have been sent to hospital with suspected alcohol poisoning after reportedly drinking cocktails at a five-star resort’s bar.
Four are Australian tourists, aged between 18 and 56. One is American and two are foreigners living in Fiji, according to local media reports citing the health ministry.
Some were previously reported to be seriously ill, but local officials say their symptoms have since improved and all are now in stable condition.
The incident comes weeks after the deaths of six tourists in the South East Asian nation of Laos because of suspected methanol poisoning.
Fiji tourism chief Brent Hill told RNZ they were keenly aware of the Laos incident, but added that the case in Fiji was “a long way from that”.
It is believed the seven people drank cocktails at the Warwick Fiji resort bar on the Coral Coast on Saturday night local time. Shortly afterwards, they displayed nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.
They were initially taken to Sigatoka Hospital, and later transferred to Lautoka Hospital, according to the Fiji Times.
A 56-year-old Australian woman was under constant surveillance in hospital and a 19-year-old woman, also from Australia, had suffered “serious medical episodes”, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Two other Australian women, aged 49 and 18, were in a critical but less serious condition, the ABC reported.
At least one local is also believed to have been hospitalised over the same incident, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.
The Warwick Fiji hotel said in a statement to the BBC that they are taking the matter “very seriously” and are “conducting a thorough investigation” while awaiting a “test result report” from the health authorities to “gather all necessary information”.
Fiji police are said to be investigating the circumstances of the incident.
Two Australian families in Fiji are receiving consular assistance, an Australian foreign ministry spokesperson told the BBC.
A New Zealand foreign affairs ministry spokesperson told the BBC it had “not received any requests for assistance” after the apparent alcohol poisoning incident.
The BBC also understands that no British persons were affected in the incident.
“There’s a real terrifying sense of deja vu,” Australian minister Jason Clare told the ABC. Two 19-year-old Australian girls had died from suspected methanol poisoning in the Laos incident.
Tourists have been advised to “be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks in Fiji” by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The guidance said tourists should “get urgent medical help if you suspect drink spiking”.
