Two trains crashed on Tuesday morning near the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. At least five people were wounded.
The incident took place at about 10:20 AM on 88 km of the railroad to Machu Picchu —between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu Town (Aguas Calientes)— when an Inca Rail train was hit by another unit from PeruRail railway company.
According to the police, the crash left two people seriously wounded, others mildly injured, and property damage.
Those severely injured were taken to the nearest healthcare center before their evacuation to Cusco city.
As stated by one of the passengers, one of the trains had stopped —on 82 km of the railroad— because of a protest by domestic tourists, who blocked the railway track.
"One of Inca Rail trains left Ollantaytambo at about 6:40 AM and stopped 40 minutes later because of the protest. We stopped for an hour, then the protest was cleared, the train continued its route, and five minutes later we felt a strong impact on the back. It was a PeruRail train that hit us," Valeria Lozana stated.
"Two Inca Rail seats flew through the air," the witness said.
According to the police, a group of 30 domestic tourists created a human blockage as they were not able to purchase their tickets to Machu Picchu Town, thus preventing the Inca Rail train from passing through.
(END) TMC/MAO/RMB/MVB