A mum has been airlifted home after falling ill when drinking cocktails at a five-star hotel in Fiji.
The 49-year-old woman spent time in hospital after she and several other tourists were allegedly poisoned at the Warwick Resort in Fiji, which is co-operating with an investigation, reports the Mirror. She was whisked in an air ambulance to Brisbane, Australia, where she lives, after the mother pulled through and got the all clear. Images show the helicopter arriving at a helipad in Brisbane, which is around three-and-a-half hours from Fiji by air.
Of the seven tourists who fell ill, four are believed to be Australian. The others from the nation have also been released from hospital, it is understood. The nationalities – and the conditions – of the other tourists have not yet been disclosed to the media.
It was confirmed by Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji, that the 49-year-old woman was “talking, responding, and doing well” after spending four days in hospital. Local authorities do not believe the cocktails were contaminated with methanol, but investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology results, which are expected to be returned about 6pm local time today.
The tourists experienced nausea, vomiting and headaches after drinking the beverages, said Jemesa Tudravu, a spokesperson for the Fiji Health Ministry. It comes as six tourists, including Brit Simone White, lost their lives after drinking tainted cocktails in Laos in November.
But authorities reassured that there have been no other reports of similar illnesses at the resort or anywhere else in Fiji, a South Pacific island nation home to 930,000 people. In Laos, however, tourists were offered free whisky or vodka shots for two hours every night, it is believed. Simone, a lawyer from Orpington, Kent, is thought to have had some of these and cocktails and fallen ill the next day.
Simone’s mother Sue expressed her grief spoke from her home in Orpington earlier this month. She said: “Simone was such a popular, fun-loving girl, who was hugely well thought of. What’s happened is absolutely tragic, she had everything going for her. We’re absolutely devastated. You never dream that your 28-year-old daughter is going to be taken from you.”
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