Stranded in Paradise – The Coliseum has been destroyed

A dream trip to the South Sea ended in a nightmare. Rain has poured onto the runway, flights have been canceled indefinitely, and money has run out for those stranded.

Tuvalu, which consists of nine main islands in the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Australia and Hawaii, has only one airport, and one international flight to Fiji.

Now Fiji Airways has canceled these flights indefinitely, after the runway was destroyed by heavy rain.

– According to locals, they have never experienced this amount of rain before, Craig Bradbrook, one of about 140 Australians now stranded on the island nation, told ABC News.

He’s there for work, and now it looks like he’ll miss his surgery appointment in his native Australia. Despite its location, Tuvalu is not a major tourist destination. There are few accommodations here, and the country attracts with its pristine nature, coral reefs and peace and quiet.

Some of those now stranded in Tuvalu fear they will not return home for Christmas. Perhaps the most serious problem is that some people are running out of money, as Tuvalu has a cash-based economy, lacking ATMs and the ability to pay by card.

There does not appear to be an immediate solution in sight. Fiji Airways says it is following repair work, which is said to be ongoing, and the Australian representative in the country says it is monitoring developments.