A collision involving two tourist trains en route to Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu archaeological site on Tuesday has resulted in at least one fatality and approximately 30 injuries.
The deceased has been identified as a railway worker, according to Jhonathan Castillo Gonzalez, a captain with the Cuzco police department. Following the incident, railway services connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cuzco were suspended.
The company operating the railway confirmed that a train travelling from Machu Picchu collided with another heading towards the site in the early afternoon. The crash occurred near Qoriwayrachina, itself an archaeological location.
The cause of the collision remains unknown.
Videos on local media showed train cars with broken windows and dented sides stuck along a rail line hemmed in between a lush forest and a massive rock.
Machu Picchu gets around 1.5 million visitors per year, mostly arriving by train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes. Known for its perfectly fitting stone bricks, the site was built in the 15th century by the Incas and served as a sanctuary for the nation’s emperors.
The number of people visiting Machu Picchu has increased by about 25 percent over the past decade, but tourism in the area has also been affected by political turmoil and disputes over how the site is managed, with protesters sometimes blocking the railroad that leads to the ancient site.
Machu Picchu can also be reached on foot, with visitors trekking from the small town of Ollantaytambo. The trek takes about four days.
