EXCLUSIVE
An Australian mother and daughter poisoned by cocktails while on holiday in Fiji hugged and kissed members of their family when they arrived home on Monday night.
Tanya Sandoe, 56, and her daughter Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, looked happy to be back home as they checked their own luggage out of Sydney Airport shortly after 7pm on Monday night.
The couple from Sydney’s upper north shore were among seven guests who were rushed to hospital on Saturday after drinking at Warwick Fiji on the Coral Coast resort island.
Two other Australians were also hospitalized.
The mother and daughter beamed as they joined Ms Sandoe’s parents, David and Pamela, and another male family member at a side exit, escorted by Australian Federal Police officers and out of sight of the most of the media expected.
Sandoe-Simpson was the first to hug and kiss her grandfather, who then turned his attention to his daughter.
Both tourists were drinking cocktails poolside at the five-star Warwick Fiji resort when they fell seriously ill on Saturday night.
Georgia suffered a seizure after drinking the cocktail and was the sicker of the couple.
The couple were rushed to nearby Sigatoka Hospital with symptoms including nausea and vomiting, and were discharged on Monday.
Tanya Sandoe, 56, and her daughter Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, are back home after their holiday in Fiji turned into a nightmare.
Sydney’s mother received a warm welcome home from her father Tony.
Sandoe told Daily Mail Australia that her daughter and granddaughter had been discharged from hospital just hours earlier and had been allowed to return home on the condition that they fly business class.
“I’m not even sure they can walk out,” he said before his flight landed.
“We just want to get them home.”
The family left in a Toyota LandCruiser, and Mrs. Sandoe and her daughter will likely need additional medical treatment.
All remaining guests had improved to stable condition as of Monday.
It comes as experts issued a dire warning to Australian tourists that their drinks could be tampered with no matter where they stay.
The Fiji incident comes weeks after six tourists, including two Australians, died after drinking drinks laced with methanol at a two-star hostel in Laos last month.
While Fijian authorities are yet to determine whether the latest incident is due to methanol poisoning, they have renewed calls for Australians to be careful when drinking abroad.
Tanya Sandoe, 56, and her daughter Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, left the terminal through a side exit escorted by Australian Federal Police officers.
Georgia Sandoe-Simpson reunited with loved ones, including grandpa Tony
Tanya Sandoe reunited with her parents and another family member (pictured)
Tony and Pamela Sandoe (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia they were looking forward to bringing their daughter and granddaughter home.
Dean Long, chief executive of the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA), told Daily Mail Australia that methanol poisonings were rare but could occur anywhere in the world.
‘These events happen. “They happen in Australia, they happen all over the world, so they’re not destination specific,” he said.
More than 400,000 Australians traveled to Fiji last year, a holiday spot considered a “safe destination” for tourists.
“In this situation, these people have done everything right,” Long said.
‘They had a drink in a beautiful place. Hopefully that’s the safest place you can be.
Long said people might substitute alcohol for methanol because it was cheaper or because they were looking to “do harm.”
He added that those responsible “must be locked up” and that he had every confidence that the Fijian government would investigate the matter thoroughly.
Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, was all smiles when she returned home from Fiji with her mother two nights after suffering a seizure.
Georgia Sandoe-Simpson, 19, (pictured) suffered a seizure due to the suspected poisoning.
Georgia’s mother Tanya (left) was also hospitalized but the couple are now flying home after being cleared to travel on Monday.
“We know that the Fijian government will throw the blame at these people and lock them up because the tourism industry is so important to that community,” Mr Long said.
Earlier this month, police arrested the owner of the factory identified as the suspected source of methanol poisoning in Laos.
The manufacturing plant is located on the outskirts of the capital city, Vientiane, and is understood to have made local Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey.
The recent round of arrests now means 12 people have been detained for their alleged connection to poisonous alcohol.
Six people, four of them Australian, were hospitalized after drinking cocktails poolside at the Warwick Fiji resort (pictured) in the south of the main island of Fiji on Saturday night.
Long urged Australians to follow safe drinking practices no matter where they are overseas and how good the quality of the place is.
Their tips include “keeping an eye on the drink when it’s being made” to make sure the bottles aren’t contaminated or ordering a new bottle of liquor.
“But premixed drinks that are sealed in a secure container are probably preferable when traveling,” Mr. Long said.
“If you want to drink some spirits, maybe buy them in Australia, take them overseas and consume them safely there, and then have those safe, pre-mixed drinks when you’re travelling.”
Long said a number of Australians have also resorted to traveling with kits capable of testing for methanol to stay safe.