Hundreds of tourists stranded in Peru near Machu Picchu may soon leave the country after the main railway to the region began operating on a limited basis after being shut down due to political unrest, according to reports.
The US Embassy in Peru issued a press release Saturday afternoon saying the Government of Peru has resumed limited rail service to help travelers leave the town of Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu.
A group of young tourists were expelled from Machu Picchu for contemplating the ancient ruins.
(iStock)
The trains would then depart for a “designated point on the railway,” where passengers would be responsible for getting off and traveling the rest of the way to Cusco in other vehicles.
AMERICAN TOURISTS STRANDED NEAR MACHU PICCHU MAY NOT BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS AS PROTESTS GRAB PERU
On Sunday, the US Embassy said that flights from Cusco airport (CUZ) were departing at normal volume, though anyone heading to the airport was advised not to do so unless they have confirmed flights. scheduled to leave on time.
Other airports in areas such as Ayacucho (AYP), Arequipa (AQP), Juliaca (JUL) and Andahuaylas (ANS) will remain closed, the US embassy said, although Arequipa is scheduled to reopen on Monday.
Peruvian Dina Boluarte, right, greets members of Congress after being sworn in as the new president hours after former President Pedro Castillo was impeached in Lima, on December 7, 2022.
(CRIS BOURONCLE/AFP via Getty Images)
Among the American tourists trapped on the mountain were two Chicago police officers, a pregnant couple from Acworth, Georgia, and a Miami-Dade Fire Department captain, who told Florida’s Local 10 News that there were about 200 US citizens on the mountain. city. Thousands more were unable to travel across the country due to the protests.
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On December 7, Peruvian President Pedro Castillo dissolved the country’s Congress and called new elections before renewing efforts to remove him from office. Castillo created a new emergency government and said he would change leadership in the police, the constitutional court and the judiciary.
Efforts to remove Castillo were based on allegations of corruption, with six investigations open against the president.
Castillo was replaced by his former vice president, Dina Boluarte, because the president’s actions were seen as an effort by Congress to preserve power.
FILE – Peruvian President Pedro Castillo holds a news conference at the presidential palace in Lima, Peru, October 11, 2022. On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, Castillo faces a third impeachment attempt by Congress. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)
(AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)
But Boluarte’s appointment was unpopular because she was unknown to the town while Castillo was seen as one of the town.
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When protests began to break out in Peru, Boluarte sent the authorities to crack down on them, though that only made things worse. Violence erupted and at least seven people were killed on Thursday night, and 50 people were injured.
A judge ordered Castillo’s detention for up to 18 months while prosecutors prepare a case against him.
On Friday, Boluarte declared a state of emergency to control the riots, sent the military to the protests and raised the death toll to more than 22 people, The New York Times reported.
Foreign and Peruvian tourists wait on the boat where they were detained in the community of Cuninico in Loreto, northern Peru, on November 4, 2022. – Indigenous people in the Peruvian Amazon detained a group of foreign and Peruvian tourists who were traveling in a riverboat to protest the lack of government aid following an oil spill in the area, local media reported on Thursday.
(Photo by ANGELA RAMÍREZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The 30-day state of emergency means assembly rights and freedom of movement are suspended and a nighttime curfew is in place in many major Peruvian cities.
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Around 5,000 tourists were stranded in the city of Cusco while waiting for flights to restart, the mayor of Machu Picchu told the AFP news agency.
Since 2016, Peru has been mired in political crises, with congresses and presidents trying to eliminate each other.
