Hundreds of tourists were stranded in Fiji on Saturday after the South Pacific nation was hit by flash floods which closed the main highway to the international airport. Two people were killed in the floods, which felled trees, sparked landslides, and forced some 2,500 people into evacuation shelters.
The main highway into Nadi, home to Fiji's international airport, was closed after floodwaters swept away a bridge leading into the town, in a blow to the lucrative tourism industry. Fallen trees and landslides provided further obstacles for those trying to make their way around the west of the main island Viti Levu, as tourists tried to reach the airport. A single helicopter was offering Fj$500 ($280) flights for those desperate to make the trip over the swollen river to reach the airport and make their flights home.
National carrier Air Pacific cancelled all international flights into Fiji because passengers had no way to reach their pre-booked resorts. New Zealand resident Matt, who did not give his surname, said he wanted to get his wife and two children onto their flight to Auckland but was facing a night with the entire family sleeping in their rental car.
"You just have to get on with it," he said, full of praise for the way Fijians had responded to the disaster. "They haven't been looking for anyone to blame, they've just carried on and done their best to fix it all as quickly as possible." The government said there were two confirmed fatalities, one man in Ba and another in Nadi. There were also unconfirmed reports a woman had died in a shelter from diabetes-related complications. The latest flood disaster comes after a six-day deluge in January claimed 11 lives and damaged crops in the already struggling sugar industry. However, the economic implications of the latest downpour may be even more serious because of its impact on tourism, which the government estimates contributes to 33 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product.
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