-
Tourists gather at a local stadium waiting to be evacuated by rescue helicopters from Machu Picchu Pueblo, in Cuzco - Source: Reuters -
Related
Kiwi backpackers trapped in flood-stricken Peru are sitting tight, unsure of when they will be rescued.
Flash floods and mudslides have left roads, train lines, and bridges under water near the ancient Incan capital Machu Picchu, leaving thousands of tourists waiting to be helicoptered out.
Phone lines are down to the hotel where Wellingtonian Sarah Fitzgerald is staying with her boyfriend and two other New Zealand backpackers.
Fitzgerald says most of the sick and elderly have been evacuated and locals are frustrated they are not getting preference over foreigners.
She say it's a slow process and some food supplies in the village have already run out.
Accommodation is at capacity and many are sleeping in trains or in tents set up in the square.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it's aware of 22
New Zealanders who are in or near the areas affected by the
flooding. MFAT says 15 Kiwis have been confirmed safe and it hasn't
been able to contact the other seven. It says Peruvian authorities
and the British Embassy are assisting in the search for them.
The US embassy in Peru has sent four helicopters to help with evacuation efforts and emergency services in Peru said 125 foreigners have been rescued, However another 1,900 are stranded in Aguas Calientes and 670 more on the Inca Trail.
Australia's foreign office believes up to 170 Australians are
among those stranded. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
says earlier reports that an Australian had been killed were
incorrect, and the victim referred to in a news report was in fact
Argentinian.
