7 hospitalized in Fiji after drinking pina coladas at upscale resort

The incident immediately brings to mind the deaths of six people from tainted drinks in Laos, but Fiji's tourism chief said this situation is "a long way from that."

Seven foreigners in Fiji ended up in hospital after they drank pina coladas at a resort bar and fell ill over the weekend, authorities confirmed Monday.

The cocktails were served at the five-star Warwick resort on Saturday, according to local news reports. It’s unclear if the rum-based drinks were served with tainted alcohol and the cause of the illnesses is not yet known.

Fiji’s 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 hospital, conscious and in stable condition.

Jemesa Tudrave, a Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson, said those affected were hospitalized with vomiting, nausea and neurological symptoms.

The incident comes weeks after the deaths of six tourists in the South East Asian nation of Laos because of suspected methanol poisoning.

Brent Hill, Fiji’s tourism chief, told RNZ that while they’re aware of the Laos case, Fiji’s situation is “a long way from that.”

Gavoka said that 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 illness at the resort or across the island nation.

“The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests,” Gavoka said in statement.