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Fiji cocktail testing reveals shock results

A 49-year-old female Australian returned home on Wednesday evening.

A 49-year-old female Australian returned home on Wednesday evening. Photo: 7NEWS

Testing of suspicious pina colada cocktails that left seven resort guests seriously ill in Fiji has revealed unexpected results.

Fiji Deputy Prime Minister Viliame Gavoka said a toxicology report showed there was no methanol in the alcoholic drinks.

The cocktails served at the poolside bar of the five-star Warwick Fiji also did not contain illicit substances, he said.

“After testing the ingredients of the drinks served to guests by the Fiji police force, I can confirm that no illicit substances or methanol were found in the ingredients or liquor samples,” he said.

“The findings that there is no evidence of alcohol poisoning is great news for Fiji.”

The shock results have raised new questions about what was in the drinks, which were originally suspected of being laced with illegal alcohol.

A resort representative previously said the pina colada ingredients included a powder smoothie mixture from New Zealand, coconut liqueur, pineapple juice and white rum.

The resort bought them from established suppliers, he said.

Fiji Tourism boss Brent Hill

Source: Sunrise

Fijian police and its health department continue to investigate the cause of the group’s illness.

A health official said the symptoms the group suffered could have been caused by an infection or other chemicals. These were lines of inquiry.

Gavoka also said the seven affected people, including four Australians, had been discharged from hospital and had recovered.

A 49-year-old Australian woman landed on the Gold Coast on Wednesday night on a medevac evacuation plane, after spending four days in intensive care.

On Monday night, mother and daughter Tanya and Georgia Sandoe arrived in Sydney and were reunited with family.

The seven victims, aged between 18 and 56, were taken to hospital on Saturday after drinking the cocktails at the resort on Viti Levu island.

Gavoka, who is also Fiji’s tourism minister, said the South Pacific nation was a safe and reliable destination for travellers and the community was in disbelief about the poisoning allegation.

“We were rocked by this, the whole industry was quite affected … No one in Fiji would do anything harmful to any of our guests,” he said.

“Fiji holds the highest standards when it comes to food, beverages and overall safety [and] the health and wellbeing of our visitors remains our top priority.”

Gavoka also asked foreign governments to remove travel warnings related to the incident.

The incident follows the death of two Australians in Laos, where they were among several victims of a suspected mass methanol poisoning.

About one million Australians visit Fiji each year and tourism contributes significantly to the nation’s economy.

-with AAP

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