The Southern Railway[es] is the main rail connection in the Department of Cusco, used primarily to reach the Inca fortress of Machu Picchu, within the historic sanctuary of the same name. Machu Picchu gets about 1.5 million visitors per year, mostly arriving by train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes.[2] The site tends to experience a greater influx of visitors during the Christmas and holiday season.[3]
Accident
PeruRail and Inca Rail were the companies managing the two trains involved in the incident. The collision occurred at 1:20p.m. PET near Corihuayrachina, a considerable distance from Ollantaytambo and Cusco.[3] Videos from the scene showed injured victims lying next to the tracks with the damaged trains nearby. Once the collision occurred, personnel notified the park rangers of the Historical Sanctuary and the National Police of Peru. A dozen ambulances and medical personnel were rushed to the site in a remote Andean area without direct road access.[4][3]
Aftermath
The railway suspended services along the rail line.[2]
Victims
Peruvian authorities began transferring the victims to medical centers in Cusco. It was initially reported that there was 15 injuries, but the number of casualties was later increased to 41, including a fatality. A health official said 20 people were in relatively serious condition.[5] The deceased victim was identified as Roberto Cárdenas Loay, the conductor of the Inca Rail train.[6][1][4] The majority of the victims were tourists from the United States.[2][3] Two Japanese, four Chinese and seven Canadian nationals were also among the injured.[7][8][9]
Investigation
Peru Rail said they were investigating the cause.[3]INDECOPI stated that it will initiate investigations into the two railway companies involved.[10]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Peru