The night of last Sunday, August 21, became tragedy for a group of foreign tourists visiting the city of Machu Picchufollowing the vehicle in which they were transported fell into an abyss when they were traveling on the road Cusco-Quillabambain a sector known as Abra Málaga.
According to local press reports, in the wrecked car, corresponding to the tourist service Amazon-Machu Picchu Access20 foreign tourists were mobilized, of which, according to the first balances of the authorities of that country, four died.
In statements delivered to the local and international press, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru, Roberto Sánchez, revealed that among the group of deceased there are three tourists of Colombian nationality, without his identity having been confirmed until now, pending the corresponding proceedings by the Prosecutor’s Office of that country. However, a subsequent statement issued by the same ministry revealed that, following the corresponding investigations, it was determined that in the group of four victims, there is a third Colombian citizen, explaining that the remaining victim is Peruvian.
Regarding the group of deceased, local media have specified that it is three men and one womanwho are currently in the identification process and are in a morgue, while the remaining 16 passengers, including the driver of the vehicle, were taken to care centers to receive the corresponding medical attention.
Regarding the nationality of the injured people, the Minister of Commerce and Tourism of Peru also specified that they are citizens from France, Greece, Argentina, Canada, Israel and the Netherlands; group to which two Peruvians also adhere, which would correspond to the driver and assistant of the accident vehicle.
According to the information released by the authorities, and taken up by the media in that country, the wrecked bus rolled down an abyss of approximately 100 meters, being the fog and the rain the main causes of the accident; factors that have become permanent in recent weeks in the area of the accident.
The accident occurred on the return trip, following the group of tourists had visited the Inca city of Machu Picchu last Sunday, and the group of injured people was helped thanks to the collaboration of other drivers who were traveling on the road, who even offered to transport the wounded to nearby health centers, more precisely the Ollantaytambo health center, although, later, the health report of the wounded states that they are in the Clinic 02 and Hospital Peruano Suiza.
In statements delivered this Monday morning, Minister Sánchez specified that it is expected that so far this Monday, a plane from the Peruvian Air ForceSpartan, go to the area with the aim of transferring some of the most seriously injured to the city of Lima.
In the same sense, the Peruvian Government raised its greetings of condolence to the relatives of the deceased, with the issuance of a message through the social networks of the Foreign Ministry, an entity that carries out the procedures to transfer the corpses to Lima, and subsequently advance repatriation procedures to their countries of origin.
Regarding the wrecked car, local media have reported that it was a mini van, identified with license plate X1M-953, which was driven by a man known as Sherwin Zevallos Montesinos, who appears on the list of injured.