MADRID, 31 (EUROPA PRESSE)
At least one person died and 36 others were injured after two trains collided head-on Tuesday afternoon traveling the tourist route to Machu Picchu National Archaeological Park in the town of Ollantaytambo, Urubamba province, southern Peru.
The scene of the accident is a busy tourist route, although there are no roads in the surrounding area, only the railway line on which the two trains, belonging to the railway companies PerúRail and Inca Rail, collided. The narrowness of the road does not allow helicopters to land to evacuate the injured.
The Health Ministry has so far confirmed 36 injuries, “most with multiple traumas and bruises”, although some media reported the number could be higher. The fatal victim is one of the train’s drivers, police confirmed.
The injured had to be transported by train to different, more accessible stops, from where the most seriously injured were sent by ambulance to several hospitals in the city of Cusco, two hours from the accident site.
The President of Peru, José Jerí, has already visited Cuszco accompanied by the Prime Minister, Ernesto Álvarez Miranda, and the head of the Transport portfolio, Aldo Martín, who have already met with local authorities.
The Peruvian Ministry of Transport has opened an investigation into the causes of the accident. The office responsible for guaranteeing consumer rights has also launched its own procedure to check whether the two companies involved comply with accident insurance and pay prompt attention to the passengers involved.
For his part, the governor of Cusco, Werner Salcedo, regretted what happened, as well as “the image of Peru in the world” that the accident leaves behind, which he attributes to the search for profit over the safety of travelers. “Machu Picchu is trapped in commercialization that leaves much to be desired,” he said.
“What happened today cannot happen again,” said Salcedo, who also criticized the care that some of the injured received from the private health services requested.
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