SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Hundreds of travellers are stranded in the Dominican Republic's international airport after authorities suspended the country's main airline for not paying debts.

Officials announced Jan. 27 that they were suspending Pawa Dominicana's operations at the Santo Domingo airport for at least 90 days because the company owes US$3 million in taxes and airport fees to the government and US$5 million to private contractors.

Passengers arriving in Santo Domingo on other airlines for connections with Pawa have found themselves without a way to reach their final destinations and are sleeping in the airport due to the high prices of nearby lodging.

The company declined to comment, but has told passengers to wait two to three weeks for refunds.