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Tourists gather at a local stadium waiting to be evacuated by rescue helicopters from Machu Picchu Pueblo, in Cuzco - Source: Reuters
Peru scrambled helicopters to evacuate some 2,000 tourists
stranded in the Andes, including several New Zealanders, after
torrential rains and mudslides killed five people and cut off
access to Peru's ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Tourists became trapped at the World Heritage site in the jungle in
eastern Peru after the heaviest rains in the area in 15 years
flooded the zone over the weekend.
An Argentine tourist and a Peruvian guide were killed along the
trail in separate mudslides, the government said, while two other
deaths were reported over the weekend.
The fifth person was killed when a hillside collapsed.
Prime Minister Javier Velasquez, who visited the area, said some
250 homes were washed away by the rains, as well as bridges and
parts of several highways.
Television images showed roads completely covered by fast-moving
water and fallen rock. People sought to cross swollen rivers on
foot, submerged up to their chests.
"The situation is chaotic," Washington Farfan, a guide at Machu
Picchu, said from the site as tourists waited for a helicopter ride
out.
"Unfortunately, the rescue effort has not been organized correctly.
People are really upset right now," he added.
Machu Picchu, which was built in the mid-15th century and lies some
1,100 km southeast of Lima, is Peru's top tourist destination.
Roughly a million people visit the site, which sits around 2,400
metres above sea-level, each year.
The government declared a state of emergency and the company that
runs trains between the Inca ruins and the nearby city of Cusco
suspended services.
Aside from the train, the only way to reach the ancient Incan site
is to trek some 45 km through the mountains, a trip that takes on
average three to four days.
"We're doing everything that's humanly possible to evacuate
tourists," Trade and Tourism Minister Martin Perez told CPN
radio.
He said the government was sending up to 10 helicopters to help in
aid efforts, but that their arrival would depend on the
weather.
"Everyone is fighting for a place on the helicopter ... The help
we've received so far is not enough," a Peruvian tour guide told
CPN radio.
An Argentine tourist told the same station that travellers' spirits
were low and communication difficult.
"We have nothing to eat and have no idea for how much longer we're
going to have water," he said.
Hugo Gonzales, Cusco's governor, estimated the cost of damages at
around $396 million.
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