Tourists to be airlifted from Machu Picchu
Sunday, 26 Jan, 2010
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Almost 2,000 tourists stranded by heavy rains in Machu Picchu in Peru are to be airlifted to safety.
Up to 40 landslides have been triggered by heavy rain, one of which blocked the rail connection between the Inca ruins and the city of Cuzco, the BBC reported.
Two people are reported to have died when a mudslide destroyed their home.
Peru’s tourism minister Martin Perez said the armed forces would be deployed to airlift tourists who had been unable to leave.
The stranded tourists would be gradually evacuated, beginning with children and the elderly.
The railway was blocked by a landslide on Saturday, one of many which have blocked roads and destroyed homes in the region.
Authorities in Cuzco have declared a state of emergency in the south-eastern region of Peru where up to 3,000 people have had their homes destroyed by floods and landslides, according to reports.
The historic centre of Cuzco, the capital of the Inca Empire has also been damaged.
A colonial-era house has collapsed and last week part of the Sacsayhuaman, the Inca fortress which flanks the city, was damaged by the intense rains, according to the BBC.
Phil Davies
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