An Australian tourist has died after plunging hundreds of metres into a ravine while trekking Peru’s famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Authorities said Matthew Cameron Paton fell through a broken wooden railing on a steep mountain section of the route.
Paton, a 52-year-old Victoria Police sergeant, fell 400 to 500m into an embankment near the “50 Gradas” section of the trail at about 2pm local time on Wednesday. His body was recovered the following day after a difficult search operation in rugged terrain.
Paton, who arrived for a holiday in Peru 12 days ago, fell through a broken railing as he was trekking the Peruvian mountain trail with a group of tourists and a guide into a difficult-to-access area, police said.
"According to preliminary information, the visitor had fallen from a cliff in a zone close to the sector known as '50 Steps,'" Peru's Ministry of Culture said in a statement on Wednesday.
The couple had set out on a four-day trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu from the Ollantaytambo district.
The 42-km Inca Trail winds through Peru’s mountains to Machu Picchu, which attracts more than 1.6 million visitors annually. Access to the trail is capped at 500 hikers a day.
His family said they were "shattered" by his death, describing him as a “career military man", an accountant, a black belt in karate, who had also studied Spanish and "loved being an educator".
“It seems surreal at the moment – everyone is bereft,” the family said in a statement on Friday.
"Family was the most important thing to Matt. He was dedicated to his family including his wife of 31 years and their three children. He adored his family. And we adored him," the statement said.
"If you were in trouble he was the guy you wanted to have around because he would come to your aid. He was the guy who stopped on the side of the road to help people change tyres.
The family said he always wanted to travel to Peru and learned Spanish to help with his trip to Machu Picchu.
"He wanted to have a career where he was doing something that he could be proud of which is why he joined Victoria Police later in life.
"He loved his colleagues and had a great rapport. He was a funny guy. He was witty, he was clever. He would spin an anecdote better than anyone."
Peruvian authorities said they will investigate the cause of his fall, and his body will be transferred to the Peruvian city of Cusco.
Describing the details of the moments he collapsed, Cusco Police Region Chief General Virgilio Velasquez, he apparently tripped while crossing a wooden bridge and he likely tried to hold onto the wooden railing.
"But it gave way and he slipped into the abyss along with it. Unfortunately, he fell down the ravine," Mr Velasquez added.
Victoria Police chief commissioner Mike Bush said that Paton had "served with distinction for 16 years" and remembered him for his selflessness, amazing sense of humour, extreme kindness and inclusion of all.
"His colleagues and the entire policing family are devastated at the tragic loss of a wonderful, caring person," Commissioner Bush said.
"Matt had the ability to talk to anyone and everyone. The morale and welfare of his friends and workmates was always his priority.
Victoria Police said the incident was a "tragedy", adding that they were in contact with his wife Jane, who is in Peru.
"Matt, 52, joined Victoria Police in 2009, initially serving at Cranbourne and Rosebud police stations before becoming an instructor at the Victoria Police Academy in 2017.
"His passion for teaching recruits led to a number of other roles, including facilitating training for police responding to mental health events.
"He was recently selected for a senior sergeant position and was due to [start] in the role next month.”
The Police Association of Victoria said the staff and members have been left in shock by Paton’s death.
"Matt's contribution to policing, through both his role in training police and as a TPAV Assistant Delegate, was representative of the care and concern he had for his colleagues and his want to give back to policing," a statement said.
