The Albany Gazette - Fiji says seven 'stable' after drinking hotel cocktails

The seven were taken to hospital on Saturday night suffering from "nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms", according to Fiji's health ministry.

They fell ill after drinking a cocktail prepared at a bar in the five-star Warwick Fiji resort on the Coral Coast, about 70 kilometres (45 miles) west of the capital Suva, it said.

"We are reassured that their condition this morning was stable, and we do hope their condition continues to improve," said a joint statement by Fiji's health and tourism ministries.

Close to a million tourists visit Fiji each year, it said, stressing that tourism in the country is "typically very safe".

"This is the only reported case of its kind that we've experienced in recent memory, and certainly nothing like this has been experienced this year."

Officials said the patients had been transferred from a hospital near the hotel to the larger Lautoka Hospital on the island's west coast.

An official at Lautoka Hospital declined to comment.

Some information provided by Fiji officials has been contradictory.

A Fiji police spokesman said one patient had already been discharged from the Sigatoka Hospital near the hotel.

A spokesperson for the Warwick Fiji hotel said it was conducting an investigation and waiting for test results from the health authorities.

"At this moment, we do not have conclusive details, but we are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our guests," the spokesperson said.

In a separate incident in Laos last month, two Danish citizens, an American, a Briton and two Australians died of suspected methanol poisoning following what local media said was a night out in the town of Vang Vieng.

(W.Walker--TAG)