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Following the collapse of the Peruvian government last week with the ousting of President Pedro Castillo, the country fell into chaos leaving tourists who went to visit the ancient city of Machu Picchu stranded.
The tourists became stranded after rail and air services were disrupted by the state of emergency and civil unrest engulfing the country. PeruRail, the company that serves the south and southeast of the country, halted operations temporarily last week.
In a statement made Saturday, however, the rail service announced they would resume their operations to Machu Picchu on an emergency basis, according to CNN.
The news brought a sigh of relief to the more than 300 tourists who were stuck almost 8,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains.
The tourists hailed from around the world including Peruvians, South Americans, Americans, and Europeans.
The mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca, told CNN that he requested multiple helicopter flights to airlift the stranded tourists off of the ancient capital city of the Incan Empire.
PATRIOT AND SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS SPOTTED LAYING WREATHS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
The tourists were eventually evacuated via train and helicopter thanks to the combined efforts of the mayor as well as the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture, and the District Municipality of Machu Picchu, per CNN.
The difficulties of the tourists are just a small piece of what the average Peruvian has had to face in the past week as the country has fallen into unrest. So far, at least 20 people have died in political demonstrations as the country came to a standstill.
Protesters have stormed several airports, looted businesses, and blocked roads as supporters of Pedro Castillo showed their discontent with the new government led by Castillo’s vice president: Dina Boluarte.
The protests have continued into this week and show no sign of slowing down despite the fact that the military has put into effect a state of emergency which led to eight protesters being shot by the military on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.
While the country continues to fall into chaos, the silver lining is that at least the tourists trapped in Machu Picchu can return safely to their families. Hopefully, the country of Peru can return safely to a stable political order.
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Following the collapse of the Peruvian government last week with the ousting of President Pedro Castillo, the country fell into chaos leaving tourists who went to visit the ancient city of Machu Picchu stranded.
The tourists became stranded after rail and air services were disrupted by the state of emergency and civil unrest engulfing the country. PeruRail, the company that serves the south and southeast of the country, halted operations temporarily last week.
In a statement made Saturday, however, the rail service announced they would resume their operations to Machu Picchu on an emergency basis, according to CNN.
The news brought a sigh of relief to the more than 300 tourists who were stuck almost 8,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains.
The tourists hailed from around the world including Peruvians, South Americans, Americans, and Europeans.
The mayor of Machu Picchu, Darwin Baca, told CNN that he requested multiple helicopter flights to airlift the stranded tourists off of the ancient capital city of the Incan Empire.
PATRIOT AND SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS SPOTTED LAYING WREATHS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
The tourists were eventually evacuated via train and helicopter thanks to the combined efforts of the mayor as well as the Ministries of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Culture, and the District Municipality of Machu Picchu, per CNN.
The difficulties of the tourists are just a small piece of what the average Peruvian has had to face in the past week as the country has fallen into unrest. So far, at least 20 people have died in political demonstrations as the country came to a standstill.
Protesters have stormed several airports, looted businesses, and blocked roads as supporters of Pedro Castillo showed their discontent with the new government led by Castillo’s vice president: Dina Boluarte.
The protests have continued into this week and show no sign of slowing down despite the fact that the military has put into effect a state of emergency which led to eight protesters being shot by the military on Thursday, according to the Washington Post.
While the country continues to fall into chaos, the silver lining is that at least the tourists trapped in Machu Picchu can return safely to their families. Hopefully, the country of Peru can return safely to a stable political order.
You Can Follow Sterling on Twitter Here