Train Collision On Machu Picchu Route Leaves One Dead, Over 40 Injured

Two trains taking tourists to Peru’s famed archaeological site of Machu Picchu collided with each other on Tuesday, killing at least one person and injuring around 40 passengers.

According to the Cuzco Police Department, a train driver was killed after two trains collided head-on on the railway leading to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Reportedly, the railway has suspended services along the rail line connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cuzco after the accident.

As per the company operating the railway, a train coming from Machu Picchu collided with a train headed there, near Qoriwayrachina, also an archeological site.

The exact cause behind the accident is still not known.

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.

(With agency inputs)