Tourists injured in Fiji jet boat accident

Five Australian tourists have been hospitalised in Fiji following an accident on the Sigatoka River Safari jet boat attraction.

The tourists were airlifted to a hospital in the Fijian capital of Suva after their boat overturned onthe Sigatoka River on Tuesday morning. One of the injured has subsequently left hospital.

Details of the incident are vague but media reports have focussed on the jet boat being skippered by a 23 year old.  Reports also indicate that a Fijian Police spokesperson advising that investigations into the matter are continuing and that no charges have yet been laid against the operator.

Founded by Australian Jay Whyte, the award winning attraction celebrated its eighth birthday in April this year.

The first jet-boat safari tour if its kind in Fiji, in 2008 it was named Best Fiji Experience while in 2007 it won the award for Best Adventure Tour at the annual AON Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards.

Offering tourists a half-day, adventure aboard custom-built safari jet boats, passengers travel along the Sigatoka River and visit authentic Fijian villages, experiencing a day in the life of the real ‘kaiviti’ (Fijian).

Sigatoka River Safari started off with one boat and two drivers, while today they have four boats and seven drivers.

Commenting on the incident, Whyte told local media that he could not give any details.

Whyte stated "we are not releasing any information at this stage because we are conducting our own internal procedures.”

28th April 2012 - 73 MILLION REASONS TO CONSERVE FIJI’S SHARK TOURISM