The grandfather and father of two Australian women who fell sick from suspected alcohol poisoning in Fiij was spotted at Sydney’s international arrivals terminal on Monday evening as flights from the Pacific nation approached.
David Sandoe earlier told media his daughter Tanya and granddaughter Georgia were on their way home after being hospitalised.
Receiving news they both had been hospitalised was a “very difficult” phone call to take.
“It’s your worst nightmare,” he told ABC News on Monday.
Four Australians were among seven guests from the Warwick Resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast hospitalised on Saturday with “nausea, vomiting, and neurological symptoms”.
The affected guests were aged between 18 and 56 and had all drunk cocktails prepared by one of the resort’s bars, according to local media.
Fiji’s government has said it has “no fear” of “untoward behaviour” in a suspected mass alcohol poisoning at a popular resort that left several guests hospitalised.
Fiji’s tourism minister, Viliame Gavoka, said it was an isolated incident, limited to one bar at the resort that was being thoroughly investigated.
“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,” he told reporters.
Gavoka said the resort had high standards.
“We don’t think anything untoward happened,” he said.
It was the only reported case in recent memory, Gavoka said.
Sandoe said it was a horrific experience, describing a late-night call from his daughter telling him she had been taken to hospital as “quite something else”.
Georgia, who’s in her late teens, suffered a seizure after drinking a cocktail, he said.
She had a pre-existing condition that affected her immune system which was a major concern, Sandoe said, but the fear was alleviated when he spoke to doctors in Fiji.
Fiji ‘typically very safe’ for tourists
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade revised its travel advice for Fiji following the incident.
“Be alert to the potential risks around drink spiking and methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks,” Sunday’s update to the government’s Smartraveller website said.
“Get urgent medical help if you suspect drink spiking.”
Asked if the patient’s symptoms were consistent with methanol poisoning, Gavoka said the results of toxicology tests were still pending.
“But … that would be really in the extreme. It’s something that we don’t believe is possible in Fiji,” he said.
Fiji is a popular tourist destination. Source: AAP / Susie Boswell
Warwick Fiji said it was waiting for health authorities test results “to gather all necessary information” about the incident at the resort.
“Please rest assured that we are taking this matter very seriously and are currently conducting a thorough investigation,” it told AAP in a statement.
“We do not have conclusive details, but we are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our guests.”
The incident in Fiji follows a recent mass methanol poisoning in Laos that killed at least six tourists, including two Australians.
died in Thai hospitals in November of suspected methanol poisoning after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos.
“There’s a real terrifying sense of déjà vu,” federal minister Jason Clare told ABC News Breakfast on Monday morning.
“When we wake up to hear this horrific news in Fiji, I’m sure all Australians have their heart in their mouth and are hoping for the best.”
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press
