The Fijian government has said that police have launched an investigation into the alleged rape and robbery of two Virgin Australia flight attendants just hours after the start of the new year.
According to a report by the foreign news agency Reuters, Fiji Police Acting Police Commissioner Joki Fong Chiu said in a statement that the two Virgin Australia flight attendants were in Fiji’s popular tourist destination of Nadi to freshen up before a flight that day.
Virgin Australia also confirmed the incident, saying that it was aware of the incident and that people had been sent to Fiji to assist, but declined to release details.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that it was aware of the report but did not provide further details.
Fijian police said that the investigation so far has revealed that two Virgin Australia crew members had gone to a nightclub in Nadi.
The acting police commissioner of Fiji said that the two airline crew members were allegedly robbed and raped as they were leaving a nightclub and trying to return to their hotel.
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation William Givuka said in a statement that the robbery and rape were two separate incidents that occurred with two different members of Virgin Australia.
William Givuka apologized for the incident and said that the police have begun questioning the suspects in connection with the rape and the investigation is still ongoing.
It should be noted that Fiji is one of the world’s most famous tourist countries, where according to a report, 76,845 foreign tourists arrived in November alone, most of whom were from Australia, New Zealand and North American countries.
