4:35 pm today

MFAT updates Fiji travel warning after suspected alcohol poisoning

4:35 pm today
Lautoka Hospital.

Four people were in critical condition at Lautoka Hospital (shown) in Fiji, on Monday. (File photo). Photo: Supplied/Fiji MOH

An American tourist and two foreign residents of Fiji are among a group of seven who fell ill after drinking cocktails at a resort .

The Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFAT) has updated its travel advice for New Zealanders travelling to Fiji following reports seven people have become ill after drinking pina coladas at a popular resort.

Four Australians remain critically ill in hospital with suspected alcohol poisoning, after drinking at the high end Warwick Resort.

MFAT updated its advice on its SafeTravel website on Monday, telling travellers to be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks.

The alert level remained at 2 of 4, which asks travellers to exercise increased caution.

It said 97 New Zealanders were registered as being in Fiji and it had not received any requests for assistance.

The ABC reported one of the Australians, a 56-year-old woman, was under constant surveillance in hospital, while a 19-year-old was experiencing serious medical episodes. Two other Australian women, aged 49 and 18, were understood to be in critical condition but not as seriously ill.

All seven who fell sick, had been taken to Lautoka Hospital, some three and a half hours away from the popular Warwick Resort they were staying at on the Coral Coast.

Fiji's Health Secretary Dr Jemesa Tudravu said he does not know how long the investigation will take.

Reports the seven were sick with methanol poisoning had not come from Fiji's health authorities, and the cause is unknown at this stage, he said.

"The toxicology is currently being done by the police and they'll release their own investigation results - that won't come from us."

Fiji journalist Mereoni Mili said the suspected alcohol poisoning was a huge worry for authorities.

"We just know they had cocktails at the bar at the resort," she told Morning Report.

"Knowing our economy that relies heavily on tourism, this will be a worry not only for the authorities but also for stakeholders of the tourism industry. They will be taking precautionary measures I believe to ensure this does not escalate."

The suspected poisoning comes just weeks after methanol poisoning in Laos killed two Australian teenagers, a British national, an American and two Danish women. They were reported to have drunk alcohol in the popular tourist town of Vang Vieng.

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