7 hospitalized in Fiji after drinking pina coladas at upscale resort
Global News
The incident immediately brings to mind the deaths of six people from tainted drinks in Laos, but Fiji's tourism chief said this situation is "a long way from that."
Seven foreigners in Fiji ended up in hospital after they drank pina coladas at a resort bar and fell ill over the weekend, authorities confirmed Monday.
The cocktails were served at the five-star Warwick resort on Saturday, according to local news reports. It’s unclear if the rum-based drinks were served with tainted alcohol and the cause of the illnesses is not yet known.
Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame R. Gavoka, told reporters that those hospitalized include four Australians and one American. The other two are foreigners living in Fiji. While five have been discharged, two people remain in hospital, conscious and in stable condition.
Jemesa Tudrave, a Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson, said those affected were hospitalized with vomiting, nausea and neurological symptoms.
The incident comes weeks after the deaths of six tourists in the South East Asian nation of Laos because of suspected methanol poisoning.
Brent Hill, Fiji’s tourism chief, told RNZ that while they’re aware of the Laos case, Fiji’s situation is “a long way from that.”
Gavoka said that toxicology test results are pending and should be ready in about three to four days, but stressed that there were no other reports of similar illness at the resort or across the island nation.
“The resort management has assured us that they have not engaged in practices such as substituting ingredients or altering the quality of drinks served to guests,” Gavoka said in statement.
Hundreds of Syrian Canadians gathered in front of Calgary city hall on Sunday, celebrating what they say is a great day for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Ottawa is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Syria and to consider leaving the country if it's safe to do so.
Syrians poured into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, putting an end to the Assad family's iron rule.
For years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with a bureaucracy they don’t understand.
South Korea's embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
France's iconic Notre Dame Cathedral is formally reopening its doors on Saturday for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019.
The leader of President Yoon Suk Yeol's party stressed the need to suspend Yoon’s presidential duties and power swiftly, saying he poses a 'significant risk of extreme actions.'
Bird flu has infected more than 500 dairy herds in top milk state California, and more than 700 nationwide since March, raising concerns of the impact to the milk supply.
The WHO experts are on their way to Panzi, in the southwestern Kwango province, where they'll deliver essential medicines and diagnostic kits to help analyse the cause.
Three mountain climbers — two from the U.S. and one from Canada — missing for five days on Aoraki, New Zealand’s tallest peak, are believed to have died in a fall.
Macron came out fighting a day after a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes at the National Assembly left France without a functioning government.