Seven tourists treated for suspected 'alcohol poisoning' in Fiji
15 December 2024, 11:56 | Updated: 15 December 2024, 13:39
Seven tourists on the island of Fiji are being treated in hospital for suspected alcohol poisoning.
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The tourists - aged between 18 and 56 - remain in a 'critical condition.'
They reportedly fell ill on Saturday night local time after drinking cocktails at a resort bar.
Following this, the individuals started to experience nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms.
Local media has reported that four of the seven are Australian.
The tourists were thought to have been staying at a resort on the Coral Coast, and were taken to Sigatoka Hospital after falling ill.
The individuals were then transferred to Lautoka Hospital, according to local media.
An Australian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that two Australian families in Fiji are receiving consular assistance, reported the BBC.
The incident comes after a suspected mass methanol poisoning incident in Laos, South East Asia, where six tourists tragically died as a result.
The tourists were reportedly given free shots as a show of hospitality by staff at Nana Backpackers Hostel.
Methanol is a a deadly substance often present in homemade alcohol.
Australian backpacker Holly Bowles, 19, had been in critical condition in a Bangkok hospital after she allegedly drank alcohol laced with the toxic chemical methanol.
The teen died nine days later after attending Dr Yaher’s emergency room with her friend Bianca Jones, becoming the sixth tourist to pass away in connection to the contaminated alcohol.
British lawyer Simone White, 28, an American man and two Danish tourists also died due to the suspected methanol poisoning in Laos.
Local authorities in Laos have vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice” as they said the tourist town was “deeply saddened” by the incident.“
The government of the Lao PDR is profoundly saddened over the loss of lives of foreign tourists in Vangvieng District, Vientiane Province and expresses its sincere sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the deceased,' a police statement said.“
The government of the Lao PDR has been conducting investigations to find causes of the incident and to bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with the law.
"The government of the Lao PDR reaffirms that it always attaches the importance and pays attention to the safety of both domestic and foreign tourists.”
