Machu Picchu rescue operation interrupted
SYDNEY – Tour companies are working overtime to support clients who have been caught up in the Machu Picchu floods and mud slides in Peru.
Peru’s government suspended helicopter rescue operations yesterday for tourists stranded near the Machu Picchu archaeological site because of heavy rains, Cabinet chief Javier Velasquez said.
In Australia, Adventure World said all its passengers in Peru are accounted for with the majority among the first to be air-lifted to safety.
Marketing manager Neil Rodgers said he was in constant contact with operators in Lima and Cuzco.
He added that all agents with affected passengers have been advised and that the wholesaler is currently working through several scenarios for future passengers, including those who want to cancel or have significantly changed itineraries and forward bookings.
Bloomberg reported that when the weather clears, the Peruvian government plans to send 11 helicopters to evacuate the 1,500 tourists stuck in the town next to the Inca ruins since January 24, when flash flooding severed rail and road access.
The longest spell of heavy rain for 20 years in Peru’s southern Andes during the past week also triggered landslides, killing at least eight people.
Babies and small children are among the tourists awaiting evacuation,
Train companies operating the Machu Picchu railway are waiting for water levels in the Vilcanota River to fall so they can clear mud and rocks from the line and repair the damaged track.
Ian Jarrett
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