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Police inside Fiji are investigating allegations that two Australian airline crew members were sexually assaulted and robbed during New year celebrations.
The Virgin Australia crew members, male and female, celebrated in tourist place in Fiji during their stopover in the early hours of January 1, Acting Police Commissioner Juki Fong Chew said. They went to the Bar One nightclub in Nadi and were attacked on their way back to the hotel.
Virgin Australia said he was aware of the incident and had dispatched a team to provide support to the crew members.
“Our focus is on the well-being of the affected members of our team,” it said, but did not provide details of the incident.
“Unfortunately, two crew members were the victims of alleged theft and rape after leaving the nightclub while trying to return to the hotel,” Mr Chew said, adding that investigations were ongoing.
A man was robbed and a woman was attacked, Assistant Police Commissioner Mesaka Waqa said. The man was treated for facial injuries.
A spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were aware of the incident but could not comment further due to privacy obligations.
The crew members remained confined to their hotel rooms in Nadi until further notice, Fiji Sun registered.
Teri O’Toole, federal secretary of the Flight Attendants Association of Australia, said they were awaiting official approaches for help.
“I believe this crew was on what we would call an overnight stay, so they would arrive in Fiji, wait and their flight would leave the next day,” she told AAP.
There has been a lot of speculation about what happened, she said, and urged people not to make assumptions and respect the crew members’ privacy.
“This is not a very common thing, but it’s also not something that has never happened before,” she said, adding that it was distressing for the families and fellow crew members.
The incident could further hit Fiji’s tourism industry, which was rocked when seven people, including four Australian tourists, were hospitalized after consuming alcohol at the resort bar on December 14.
The cause of the poisoning is still under investigation, as toxicology tests showed “no methanol or illegal substances” in the drinks, authorities said.