Due to the violent protests against the dismissal and arrest of left-wing president Pedro Castillo, the railway line between the World Heritage Site and the city of Cusco was previously closed.
The railway, which is one hundred kilometers long, is the easiest and most used way to get to or from Machu Picchu. Peru’s state railway “PeruRail” on Tuesday cited security concerns as the reason for the blockade and referred to calls for demonstrations by various organizations in Cusco.
Hundreds of tourists were trapped in the small town of Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. “We can’t leave here,” Israel’s Gale Dut told an AFP journalist. “I travel with my kids, it’s a real problem.” She just wanted to leave Peru “in complete safety”, but that is not possible at the moment.
In Peru, protests have been going on for days against the dismissal and arrest of Castillo and the assumption of office by the new president Dina Boluarte. In response to the violence, the government declared a national state of emergency on Wednesday.
(SDA)