At least seven tourists, including four Australians, have been hospitalized in a case of suspected alcohol poisoning at a resort in Fiji, the Australian and Fijian governments said on Monday.
Tourists fell ill after drinking a cocktail at the Warwick Fiji resort, on the south coast of the island of Viti Levu, the country’s government said.
“This is an extremely isolated incident, affecting only these seven guests at a specific bar within the resort,” the statement said.
Last month, six foreign tourists died after consuming contaminated alcohol in Laos.
According to the government, the resort’s management stated that they had not substituted ingredients or changed the quality of the drinks served to guests.
“While we understand the concern, we want to emphasize that the tourism experience in Fiji is typically very safe, and we acted immediately to try to find the cause of what caused these guests at this resort to become ill.”
Mereisi Makutu, the resort’s reception manager, told the country’s state broadcaster that it was investigating the incident.
“Our main priority at the moment is to look after those guests who are in hospital,” she told the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation in an interview.
Australia’s Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, explained at a press conference that consular officials were helping those affected with their families, while Fijian police were conducting an investigation into the poisoning.
“We are thinking about the friends and family of those affected. This is undoubtedly a very distressing moment for them,” he said.
The Australian government has updated its travel recommendations for the country, signaling the dangers of excessive drinking and warning its citizens, in general, about the risk of alcohol poisoning when traveling.
“If Australians are traveling, be very alert to the potential risks around drinking and alcohol poisoning,” exclaimed Chalmers.
This content was originally published in Seven tourists were hospitalized in Fiji due to suspected alcohol poisoning on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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