35 tourists injured in train collision near Machu Picchu

Two foreign tourist trains collided on Tuesday near the famous Inca fortress of Machu Picchu in southern Peru, injuring 35 people, including Americans, South Koreans and a Chilean. and a French man, the government said.

In a statement released Tuesday night, the health ministry says that "the collision has left at least 35 injured, two of them are in serious condition and the others are suffering bruises ". According to the authorities, "the serious wounded are two foreign tourists hospitalized, in intensive care at the Pardo clinic of Cusco, where 22 other patients are also treated". The other wounded were hospitalized in other institutions in the area.

The collision was reportedly caused by demonstrators

Authorities indicated that the collision occurred around 10:00 am at kilometer 89 of the railway between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes, the closest village to Peru's most visited tourist site. Firefighters and rescuers were dispatched to the scene of the accident, a remote region of Peru at the junction of the Andes and plains, in the Vilcanota Valley.

According to Peruvian media, local protesters allegedly attempted to block the railway line by depositing stones and pieces of wood, forcing the first train to stop. The second then spurred the train to a stop. The police, however, refused to confirm this version of the facts, and will seek to establish the causes of the collision.

Almost all of the wounded aboard one of the trains

One of the trains involved in this collision belongs to the company PeruRail and the other to the company IncaRail, both of which provide connections to Machu Picchu popular with foreign tourists.

IncaRail said that one of its pbadengers, a tourist Chilean had been injured in this accident, stating that "the other pbadengers have not been affected and can continue their journey to Machu Picchu".

"The emergency protocol was implemented, the affected people were evacuated by ambulance ", PeruRail Group, which states that" an investigation will be opened to determine the reasons for this regrettable accident. "

Symbol of Inca magnificence, the citadel of Machu Picchu dat e of the 15th century, when was revered the sun. Registered since 1983 in the Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Unesco, it is visited annually by thousands of tourists.