Cocktails turn dream Fiji holiday into a nightmare

Poisoned pina coladas are suspected to have struck down seven people including four Australians at a five-star Fiji resort, with witnesses reporting horror stories of victims bleeding from the ears and foaming at the mouth.

Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, left, and mum, Tanya, right, were caught up in the poison cocktail drama at the Warwick Hotel in Fiji. Picture: Supplied

Rounds of poisoned pina coladas are suspected to have struck down seven people including four Australians at a five-star Fiji resort, with witnesses reporting horror stories of victims bleeding from the ears and foaming at the mouth.

Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, and her mother, Tanya Sandoe, were given medical clearance to return to Sydney on Monday night after poolside drinks on the weekend turned their dream holiday into a nightmare.

They were hospitalised on Saturday along with two other Australian women, after consuming cocktails at the Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast.

A holiday in paradise turned into a life-threatening emergency for seven travellers including four Australians on Saturday.

Fiji authorities are shocked a mass poisoning could occur from drinks served at a reputable luxury hotel and have turned to toxicology tests to confirm the cause, assuring travellers it was an “extremely isolated” incident amid concerns about potential tourism impacts.

Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Viliame Gavoka told a media conference Monday afternoon he could not rule out methanol poisoning, but it was something “I don’t believe is possible in Fiji”.

“The people in the hospitality industry are in a state of shock right now. We never believed this could happen. Once the facts become known, we believe it’ll bring back the confidence in Fiji very, very quickly,” Mr Gavoka said.

Seven victims aged between 18 and 56, including an American and two foreigners who live in Fiji, were treated at nearby Sigatoka Hospital for nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms before being transferred to Lautoka Hospital, north of Nadi, because of the severity of their illness.

David Sandoe said he got a call at 11pm Saturday from his daughter, Tanya, saying she had been poisoned along with his granddaughter, Georgia.

“Out of the two of them our daughter has fared better than our granddaughter. Our granddaughter seemed to be more affected. So it was very much a big worry for us,” Mr Sandoe said.

He said it was “too early to tell” if his family members would need further treatment in Australia.

After flying home on Monday night, the mother and daughter left Sydney airport via a side exit, avoiding media waiting at the main exit.

The experience was “a complete shock” and unlike what the family had experienced on prior trips to Fiji, Mr Sandoe said.

The two other Australian women affected were from NSW, he said. They are understood to be in a stable condition in hospital.

At Warwick Resort, staff told The Australian they were scrambling to get to the bottom of the suspected poisoning.

“We are aware of the recent news regarding suspected alcohol poisoning. Please rest assured that we are taking this matter very seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation,” spokesperson Savaira Molaucake said.

“At this moment we do not have conclusive details, but we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our guests.”

A resort guest said a female friend suffered seizures hours after being in a group that ordered five cocktails at the resort bar about midday on Saturday.

“The people who drank the pina colada became unwell,” the guest told the Daily Mail, speaking anonymously.

“My friend was the worst of the lot. At 5pm we went to check on her and help her get ready for dinner. She wasn’t responsive. She was having severe seizures and foaming at the mouth.”

Another woman was bleeding from her ears, he claimed.

“All the victims were ladies. I could identify them as Warwick guests because they all had the ­resort armbands on. There was a young girl who had a sip of her mum’s cocktail. They’re both in a terrible state,” he said.

Acting Police Commissioner Juki Fong Chew said a joint police and health department investigation was under way.

“We are just awaiting the toxicology test to be completed to ­determine what substance was present in the alcohol when it was consumed. The police investigation surrounding this incident is still ongoing,” Mr Fong Chew told The Australian.

Asked if there was any suggestion the poisoning could have been deliberate or intentional, he said the “surrounding facts (and) information of the case is still being ­investigated”.

The Fiji government said in a statement: “The Ministry for Tourism and Civil Aviation, together with the Ministry of Health & Medical Services, want to acknowledge the serious health incident that occurred at a resort on the Coral Coast, where seven guests presented with illness after consuming a cocktail at one of the resort’s bars. Our thoughts are with the affected guests and their families during this time.”

The Australian government issued a travel update warning people to “be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks in Fiji”, adding: “Get urgent medical help if you suspect drink spiking.”

Mr Gavoka said drink samples from the resort would also be sent to Australia for analysis.

“The whole case is quite mystifying, but we are doing everything we can in terms of the health ministry and the police to really determine what happened on that evening when these people were served with pina colada in one of these bars. This is an extremely isolated incident, affecting only these seven guests at a specific bar within the resort,” he said.

It comes just weeks after six foreigners including two Melbourne teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19. died from methanol poisoning after consuming drinks at a hostel in Laos.

Additional reporting: Summer Liu