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One of the two trains after a head-on collision near Machu Picchu in Peru on Tuesday. The crash killed at least one person and injured around 30 passengers.CAROLINA PAUCAR/AFP/Getty Images
Seven Canadians have been injured in the collision of two trains taking tourists to Peru’s famed archeological site of Machu Picchu, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says.
According to the Associated Press, one person was killed in the Tuesday crash, and about 30 people in total were injured.
The person killed was a railway worker, said Jhonathan Castillo Gonzalez, a captain with the Cuzco police department. He told AP the railway suspended services along the rail line connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cuzco after the incident.
“Global Affairs officials are providing consular assistance to those impacted and are in close contact with local authorities,” Ms. Anand said in a posting on X. “Canada stands by the people of Peru and extend our sympathies to all those affected.”
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Police officers carry an injured passenger from one of the trains on Tuesday.CAROLINA PAUCAR/AFP/Getty Images
In a statement, Global Affairs Canada spokesperson John Babcock said the department did not have any additional information to disclose because of privacy considerations.
According to the company operating the railway, a train coming from Machu Picchu collided with a train headed there in the early afternoon, near Qoriwayrachina, which is also an archeological site.
No further details about what had caused the crash were immediately available.
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.
IncaRail, one of the companies involved in the crash, said in a statement that all operations have been restored and services had resumed as of Wednesday.
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The ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu in 2023. The archaeological site gets around 1.5 million visitors a year.MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP/Getty Images
The company said it was offering all passengers affected by the suspension of operations the option to request rescheduling or refunds through the company’s official channels.
Machu Picchu gets around 1.5 million visitors a 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 their emperors.
The number of people visiting Machu Picchu has increased by about 25 per cent over the past decade. However, tourism in the area has also been affected by political turmoil and disputes over how the site is managed, with protesters sometimes blocking the railway that leads to the ancient site.
Machu Picchu can also be reached on foot, with visitors trekking from the small town of Ollantaytambo. The journey takes about four days.
With a report from Associated Press
