Tourists fighting for lives after ‘alcohol poisoning’ in Fiji weeks after 6 backpackers died from laced shots in Laos
TOURISTS with suspected alcohol poisoning are fighting for their lives in Fiji just weeks after six backpackers died from tainted shots in Laos.
Guests at the Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast allegedly became ill after drinking a cocktail at the venue’s bar on Saturday night.
Cops and health officials were investigating an alleged alcohol poisoning at a resort on Fiji’s renowned Coral Coast after seven guests fell ill after drinking alcohol, according to local media.
The group were taken to the nearby Sigatoka Hospital with “nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms,” local media reports.
It is said that two of the victims were later transferred to Lautoka hospital.
The victims are reportedly aged between 18 and 56.
Fiji’s Ministry of Health said out of the seven, four are Australians and one is American.
The other two victims of the alleged alcohol poisoning have not yet had their nationalities confirmed.
The Ministry has also reportedly mobilised a team of Health Inspectors to assist the team at the hospital.
They also look to identify other guests who may have been affected by similar symptoms from consuming the same drink as fears loom more could fall ill.
The Fiji Police Force is also conducting an investigation into the incident.
On Sunday afternoon, Dfat updated its travel advice for Fiji, highlighting a warning about the risk of alcohol poisoning.
The updated advice reads: “Be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.
“Get urgent medical help if you suspect drink spiking.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) told Guardian Australia through a spokesperson on Sunday evening that it was providing consular assistance to two Australian families in Fiji but declined to provide further details.
The suspected alcohol poisoning incident comes after six people died from methanol poisoning in November after drinking tainted alcohol while in Vang Vieng, Laos.
A vodka and whisky factory believed to be the source of a deadly batch of drinks that killed six backpackers has been closed by Laos police.
Simone White, a 28-year-old lawyer from London, was one of the victims fatally poisoned by methanol whilst partying in the traveller hotspot Vang Vieng last month.
Police have arrested the owner of the factory that pumped out cheap local liquors known as Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky and banned the sale of the drinks, according to ABC.
The run-down site outside the capital city Vientiane has been shutdown by authorities until it sorts out its production process.
At the now-abandoned factory blue drapes have been placed over stacks of empty bottles and Tiger Whisky packaging lay beside an extinguished fire outside.
The six poisoning victims were all staying at Nana Backpackers Hostel, where eight staff have also been arrested after reportedly refusing to call an ambulance for the dying guests.
The detained workers are believed to be Vietnamese nationals, but no charges have yet been brought against them.
The manager and bartender at the hostel, Duong Duc Toan, was investigated last week by local police and detained.
The foreign travellers fell ill just hours after drinking free shots of Tiger Vodka given out by the hostel’s bar, but it is not clear if this was the source of the methanol contamination.
Toan previously denied any drinks served at the hostel could have made guests ill.
Among the victims were Danish friends Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald, 21, who died after they were left “vomiting blood” for 13 hours.
Why is methanol so deadly?
By Sam Blanchard, Health Correspondent
METHANOL is a super-toxic version of alcohol that may be present in drinks if added by crooks to make them stronger or if they are brewed or distilled badly.
The consequences can be devastating because as little as a single shot of contaminated booze could be deadly, with just 4ml of methanol potentially enough to cause blindness.
Prof Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, said: “The body converts methanol to formic acid.
“Formic acid blocks the action of an enzyme that is critical to how the body uses oxygen to generate energy.
“If it stops working, cells cannot take up or use oxygen from the blood and lack of oxygen causes problems in a range of organs as the cells start to die.
“Symptoms of methanol poisoning include vomiting, seizures and dizziness.
“The optic nerve seems to be particularly vulnerable to methanol toxicity, so there is the potential for temporary or permanent blindness, and even death.
“While thankfully rare, methanol poisoning is very serious, and treatment should be given at a hospital.”
An unexpected but key way of treating methanol poisoning is to get the patient drunk with normal alcohol – known as ethanol – to distract the liver and stop it processing the methanol.