Government of Peru reopens trains leaving Machu Picchu
Following last week’s disruptions and closures, train services and airports are now reopening.
PeruRail, Peru’s rail operator for the southern and southeastern regions of the country, said in a statement Saturday that trains would resume operations to and from Machu Picchu in an emergency.
A train with stranded tourists arrives in Ollantaytambo, Peru, on December 17.
Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images
“With this objective, we are coordinating with the Municipality of Machu Picchu to guarantee the correct boarding of the people on these trains, prioritizing the care of the elderly, people with health problems and families with children,” the statement read.
PeruRail also said the evacuees would be transferred by bus from the community of Piscacucho to the city of Cuzco, where the Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) is located.
Peru’s transport ministry said Friday that the 75-kilometer (47-mile) route from Machu Picchu has resumed flights after being temporarily suspended amid protests in the country.
“Passengers who need to move during curfew hours will be able to use their travel tickets as safe passage,” the ministry said.
On Sunday, Paola Lazarte, Peru’s Minister of Transport and Communications, also said that work is underway at Arequipa Airport, the largest airport in southern Peru, to resume operations. after it was closed due to protests. She added that they had received additional lighting kits that helped resume night flight operations on Saturday.
Some 300 tourists from around the world, including Peruvians, South Americans, Americans and Europeans, have been stranded at the historic site, according to Darwin Baca, the mayor of Machu Picchu.
Baca told CNN on Friday that he had requested helicopter flights to evacuate tourists after protests halted trains and flights.
Stranded tourists walk through Chilca, near Machu Picchu.
Alejandra Orosco/Reuters
Protests erupted in cities across the country following Castillo’s ouster, sometimes punctuated by clashes with Peru’s security forces. Some are protesting in support of Castillo, while others want a full reset of the country with new general elections and the dissolution of Congress.
The Machu Picchu Municipal District had said in a statement on Friday that it expects to evacuate tourists on Saturday as tensions rise across the country, which have turned deadly as at least 20 people have died amid the riots. political demonstrations.
“The municipality, through the Tourism Unit, carries out the necessary coordination for the selection and prioritization of children and vulnerable people for the transfer on humanitarian flights, work that has been carried out in coordination with the National Police and the district Health Center ”, the statement said.
Warnings from international governments
The ongoing rescue action is a collaborative effort organized between the mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca León, in coordination with the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture (DDC) and the District Municipality. of Machu Picchu.
In a speech on Sunday, Pope Francis called for peace in Peru.
“We pray for peace in Peru, that the violence in the country cease and that the path of dialogue be undertaken to overcome the political and social crisis that afflicts the population.”