EXCLUSIVE
An Australian woman who fell ill following a mass poisoning at a five-star hotel in Fiji is in stable condition and is expected to return home this afternoon after spending four days in hospital.
Brent Hill, chief executive of Tourism Fiji, says the 49-year-old is “talking, responding and doing well” after spending the last few days in the intensive care unit.
The woman and her 19-year-old daughter were among six tourists who began suffering nausea, vomiting and neurological problems on Saturday night after drinking pina coladas at the Warwick Resort on the country’s Coral Coast.
The woman will be the last of four Australians to be released from hospital after her daughter was discharged on Monday night.
The woman’s daughter and a male relative have spent the past two days traveling between their nearby hotel and her mother’s bedside.
A relative did not speak to the media as he left the hospital in a taxi on Wednesday as the family prepared to return to Australia.
Local authorities say they do not believe the cocktails were contaminated with methanol, but investigators are awaiting toxicology results that are expected to be returned this afternoon.
A relative (pictured) of the Australian who remains in hospital did not speak to the media as he left hospital in a taxi on Wednesday as the family prepared to return home to Sydney.
The resort was packed with guests on Tuesday night, 72 hours after six tourists were rushed to hospital after consuming cocktails (pictured).
It came after Daily Mail Australia revealed that tourists who recently stayed at the resort claimed they also became ill after consuming cocktails at the hotel’s bars.
“My husband and I were there two weeks ago and he had the same cocktail (a pina colada) and was sick with chills and sweats,” one woman wrote online.
“(It was) very strange.”
A man who stayed at the hotel in late November said his group bought drinks at one of the bars that were “completely undrinkable.”
“They tasted like pure alcohol (not strong mixtures),” he said.
‘We ordered a glass of lemonade to break it down and it still couldn’t be drunk (because it tasted bad).
“(However) we drank at least 20 other cocktails from other bars that were sensational.”
This post previously revealed that A friend of one of the victims claims that the establishment asked her to sign a compensation form and refunded $160.
The resort (pictured) issued a statement on Tuesday saying it was “deeply concerned” by media reports of the mass poisoning.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Warwick Resort for comment.
The resort issued a statement Tuesday saying it was “deeply concerned” by media reports of the mass poisoning.
The company, which has been in business for almost 40 years, called the incident an “unprecedented event.”
‘We take the safety of our guests very seriously. “We are currently working closely with authorities to determine the cause of this unfortunate incident,” the resort said.
‘We want to reassure all our visitors that we maintain the highest level of food and drink safety.
“We are committed to the health and safety of our guests, and we are with them every step of the way as we investigate this unfortunate incident.”