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Seven foreigners in Fiji ended up in hospital after drinking piña coladas at a resort bar and falling ill over the weekend, authorities confirmed Monday.
The cocktails were served at the five-star Warwick resort on Saturday, according to local press reports. It is unclear whether the rum-based drinks were served with contaminated alcohol and the cause of the illnesses remains unknown.
Fiji Tourism Minister Viliame R. Gavoka told reporters that those hospitalized include four Australians and one American. The other two are foreigners living in Fiji. While five have been discharged, two people remain in the hospital, conscious and in stable condition.
Jemesa Tudrave, spokesperson for Fiji’s Ministry of Health, said those affected were hospitalized with vomiting, nausea and neurological symptoms.
The incident comes weeks after the deaths of six tourists in the Southeast Asian nation of Laos due to suspected methanol poisoning.
Brent Hill, Fiji’s tourism chief, told RNZ that while they are aware of the Laos case, the Fiji situation is “very far from that.”
Gavoka said toxicology test results are pending and should be ready in about three to four days, but stressed that there were no other reports of similar illnesses at the resort or throughout the island nation.
“Resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of beverages served to guests,” Gavoka said in a statement.
“This is the only reported case the likes of which we have experienced in recent memory, and certainly nothing like this has been experienced this year,” he continued.
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The Warwick Fiji hotel said in a statement to the BBC that it was aware of the “suspected alcohol poisoning” and was taking it “very seriously.” The hotel said it was “conducting a thorough investigation” while awaiting a “report of test results” from health authorities to “gather all necessary information.”
Sydney resident David Sandoe told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he had received a call informing him that his daughter and granddaughter were among those hospitalized. He confirmed to the outlet that they had both been drinking pina coladas before getting sick.
“There was a group of them in the lounge at this resort and they had a similar cocktail and unfortunately, seven people contracted the symptoms that have been talked about,” Sandoe said.
— With files from The Associated Press
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