In Aguas Calientes, a thermal village nestled in the steep valley at the foot of the historic site, and through which you can access Machu Picchu, dozens of tourists are trapped.
The train between the stone citadel and Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, located 110 km away, is indeed the only modern way to get to or leave the citadel.
“We are now in Aguas Calientes and we cannot go back to Cusco or leave for another country because of the protests. I am with children, for me it is a problem,” Gale Dut told AFP. an Israeli tourist. “I just want to travel safely to another country but PeruRail (the train operator) tells me there is no train,” she added.
According to the municipality of Machu Picchu, some 779 tourists of different nationalities have been stranded since Tuesday.
Rail service between Cuzco and Peru’s tourist gem has been suspended since Tuesday, due to protests that began Monday in the city of Cuzco. The demonstrators notably tried to take the airport which is now closed.
“I was supposed to leave Cuzco yesterday (Tuesday) by train and take a flight to Lima to go home, but now the situation is not clear,” Walter, a Belgian tourist, told AFP worriedly.
PeruRail claims to give priority to the safety of passengers, fearing blockages of the railway tracks.
The mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca (the city changed its name to Machu Picchu to benefit from its fame), has asked the government for humanitarian aid and is requesting the dispatch of helicopters to evacuate tourists.
Agrarian unions as well as peasant and indigenous organizations, very present in the Cusco region, announced an “indefinite strike” in several regions of Peru from Tuesday, demanding the closure of Congress, early elections and a new constitution, according to a press release from the Agrarian and Rural Front of Peru.
