One killed, at least 40 injured in train crash on Machu Picchu line in Peru
Head-on collision between two tourist trains leaves conductor dead, Authorities say many of the injured are foreign visitors.
Peruvian authorities have said that one person killed and at least 40 others injured in a head-on collision between two trains on the rail line serving Machu Picchu.
The victim was the conductor of one of the trains involved, according to the prosecutor’s office in Cusco, the city closest to the ancient Inca site.
Officials said efforts were underway to identify the injured passengers, many of whom were foreign visitors.
Most were reported to have sustained serious injuries.
Videos sent by passengers to RPP television showed injured people lying beside the tracks, with two damaged locomotives standing idle nearby.
A dozen ambulances and medical personnel were dispatched to the scene, located in a remote Andean area without direct road access.
Rail agency Ferrocarril Transandino said a train operated by PeruRail collided with another belonging to Inca Rail around midday on the single-track section linking the town of Ollantaytambo with Machu Picchu.
The cause of the collision was not immediately known.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, Machu Picchu receives an average of around 4,500 visitors a day, many of them foreigners, according to Peru’s tourism ministry.
Most tourists reach the historic site by train and bus due to its mountainous location.
Built in the 15th century at an altitude of about 2,500 metres, the fortified complex was commissioned by the Inca ruler Pachacutec and is regarded as a masterpiece of architecture and engineering.