Toxicology tests on the ingredients of drinks consumed by seven tourists who fell ill in Fiji showed “no methanol or illicit substances,” authorities on the South Pacific island said Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Viliame R. Gavoka delivered the update with an apology to the tourists that their holiday to the luxury destination had ended “on such a note.”
Fiji has been in damage-control mode since seven tourists, including four Australians, suffered nausea, vomiting and “neurological symptoms” after reportedly drinking piña colada cocktails at a bar inside the upscale Warwick Fiji resort on Saturday.
It’s still not clear what caused their illness, but Gavoka, who is also the island’s tourism minister, said all seven tourists – ages 18 to 56 – had since been discharged from medical care and had “fully recovered.”
The case comes just weeks after six tourists died from methanol poisoning in Laos, in a case that prompted safety warnings about consuming alcohol abroad, and heightened alert among travelers about the content of locally brewed spirits.
Sydney resident David Sandoe told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation earlier this week that he’d received a call saying his daughter and granddaughter were among those hospitalized. He said they were among a group of people who drank a piña colada cocktail before falling ill.
“There was a group of them in the lounge of this resort and they had a similar cocktail and unfortunately, seven people came down with the symptoms that have been talked about,” Sandoe said. His relatives have since returned home.
Gavoka assured travelers earlier this week that the incident was “extremely isolated.”
“No other incidents have been reported either at the resort, or across Fiji. The resort has been operating in Fiji successfully for many years and holds a strong reputation, particularly among our Australian visitors,” he said in a statement.
The Warwick Hotels and Resorts operates luxury accommodation worldwide, including in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
In a statement Tuesday, Warwick Resort Management said the incident was “unprecedented” during the 40 years it had been operating in Fiji.
“We want to reassure all our visitors that we maintain the highest standards of food and beverage safety,” the statement said.
Almost one million tourists visit the remote Pacific Island each year to experience its tropical beaches. It’s generally considered a safe place to travel, though after the incident Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs updated its advice to warn visitors to the island about the danger of drink spiking and methanol poisoning.
In November, the deaths of two Australian teenagers, a British woman, an American man and two Danish women after drinking shots in Laos, in Southeast Asia, prompted warnings from several Western nations about the potentially fatal consequences of drinking tainted alcohol.
