Some 1,600 tourists were evacuated early Tuesday from the area of Machu Picchu, Peru’s famous archaeological site, due to a demonstration which degenerated into clashes with police, authorities announced.
“We were able to evacuate around 1,600 tourists,” Tourism Minister Desilu Leon told RPP radio, adding that another 900 remained stranded in the area.
The authorities did not specify the number of affected foreigners among the tourists. Listed as a World Heritage Site since 1983, Machu Picchu welcomes an average of 4,500 visitors per day, including a large number of foreigners, according to official figures.
Train service to the Inca citadel was halted on Monday after protesters blocked the tracks. The main access to the site is by train from Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire, located 110 km away.
Police intervention during the night from Monday to Tuesday allowed the evacuation of tourists before a new blockade was put in place.
The demonstrators placed rocks and tree trunks on several sections of the railway line, a police source told AFP.
In a press release, the police announced that 14 of their officers had been injured by demonstrators equipped with “blunt objects” while unblocking the track.
After the evacuation operation was interrupted, tourists told AFP correspondents on site that the authorities suggested they walk for several hours before being able to take a bus or other means of transport.
“The alternative they give us (…) is that we walk two or three hours and then find a bus or another means of transport. (…) In my case, I can’t because my wife is pregnant,” complained the Chilean Miguel Salas.
Protesters are demanding that a new company take over bus transport between the station and the archaeological site, after the expiration of a 30-year concession.
The demonstration is organized by the Machu Picchu Interests Defense Front, which announced in a statement on Sunday an indefinite strike until the new transport company begins operating.
Its concession expired but the Consettur Machupicchu company told AFP on Monday that it continued to operate, without providing further details.
Minister Desilu Leon announced for the coming hours a “meeting with local authorities and unions” in order to “find a solution to the demonstrations”.
