Seven foreigners in Fiji were sent to hospital for suspected poisoning after drinking pina coladas at a five-star resort’s bar, local authorities said.
Five are tourists, with one from the US and the rest from Australia, aged between 18 and 56. Two others 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 said on Monday that their symptoms have since improved and some were set to be discharged.
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”.
Shortly after drinking the rum cocktail at the Warwick Fiji resort on the Coral Coast, the seven guests displayed nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.
They were initially taken to Sigatoka Hospital, and later transferred to Lautoka Hospital, according to the Fiji Times.
Fiji’s tourism minister Viliame Gavok has stressed that this was a “extremely isolated incident” and that the resort claimed “they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests”.
Initial investigations are underway and no further cases have been reported, authorities said.
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).
On Monday, Australian media reported that two Australians, a mother and daughter, have been cleared to return home.
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 “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.