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Protesting tourists cause train crash near Machu Picchu

Protesting tourists cause train crash near Machu Picchu

A train had stopped because of a protest by domestic tourists who were blocking the railway track near the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. This caused 2 trains to crash which resulted in at least 5 people being wounded, 2 of them critically.

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 2 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.

“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.

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