The Warwick Hotel in Fiji has issued a statement about the alleged mass alcohol poisoning

The resort at the centre of Fiji’s suspected mass poisoning has issued a statement after two of four Australians who were hospitalised returned home.

The hotel at the centre of a suspected mass alcohol poisoning event in Fiji which saw seven people hospitalised, including four Australians, has called it an “unprecedented event”.

The seven affected guests are aged from 18 to 56 years old and were taken to hospital on Saturday night experiencing “nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms” after consuming an allegedly poisoned cocktail at the resort.

Investigations into the suspected alcohol poisoning are under way.

A statement issued by the hotel, Warwick Resort, on Tuesday said they were “deeply concerned by the recent media reports related to seven of our guests falling ill after allegedly consuming Pina Coladas at our property”.

A statement from the Warwick Resort read they were working with authorities to determine what caused the “unfortunate incident.”

“As a business that has proudly traded in Fiji for almost 40 years, this is an unprecedented event for us. We take the safety of our guests very seriously,” the statement read.

“We are currently working jointly with the authorities to determine what caused this unfortunate incident.

“We are committed to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone who visits our resort.

“We remain committed to the health and safety of our guests, and we are with our guests every step of the way as we investigate this unfortunate incident.”

Warwick Fiji resort is a holiday hotspot on the island’s Coral Coast with rooms at the luxury five-star resort going for up to $500 a night.

The suspected poisoning has drawn comparisons to an incident in Laos where six tourists died drinking alcohol laced with methanol last month, including two Australians Holly Knowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19. Photo: Leon Lord/AFP.

The suspected poisoning has drawn comparisons to an incident in Laos where six tourists died drinking alcohol laced with methanol last month.

Two Australians, Holly Knowles and Bianca Jones, both aged 19, lost their lives after they unknowingly consumed methanol laced drinks at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng.

While the Fijian government has not ruled out methanol poisoning as the cause of the seven tourists being hospitalised, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka told reporters it would be “in the extreme” if tests proved otherwise.

Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, was one of the Australians staying at the Warwick Resort in Fii who was hospitalised from suspected poisoning.

“We would like to wait for the results of the tests, but that would be really ‘in the extreme’. It’s something that we don’t believe is possible in Fiji,” he said.

“Pina colada is the drink here. A lot of people drank pina colada, but it only affected these six or seven people. I think there’s something else we need to identify.

“There is fear that it will be similar but that was not in an established operation.

“The resort here is a very highly rated resort, very high standards and we don’t think anything untoward happened.”

Toxicology reports should be completed by police in the coming days.

Originally published as The Warwick Hotel in Fiji has issued a statement about the alleged mass alcohol poisoning