Sunday, January 31, 2010
LIMA: Heavy flooding in southern Peru, which trapped thousands of tourists visiting the Inca city of Machu Picchu, has killed 20 and left at least five missing, Peru's Civil Defense force said Saturday.
Thousands of others have been affected by heavy rains, the worst to hit the country in five years.
In the Cusco region, the downpours prompted landslides that trapped 3,500 visitors in and around the picturesque mountaintop tourist site of Machu Picchu.
Peruvian authorities used 12 helicopters and 40 pilots over four days to evacuate all the travelers trapped near the site, Latin America's top tourist destination.
The evacuation of all visitors ended late Friday.
"The good news is that Machu Picchu, along with all the ancient sites, is intact," said Carlos Millas, president of the chamber of commerce in Cusco, a region heavily dependent on the income from visiting tourists.
But the railway that ferries 90 percent of the 1,000 people that visit Machu Picchu each day to the site was damaged in the floods, and Peru Rail warned that repairs could take up to two months.
The rains are forecast to continue through Tuesday, with some heavy downpours predicted for the south, according to Peru's weather service.
Neighboring Bolivia has also been hit by heavy rains that prompted President Evo Morales to declare a national emergency.
At least 10 people were killed and some 22,000 were left homeless by storms, Bolivian authorities said Friday.
LIMA: Heavy flooding in southern Peru, which trapped thousands of tourists visiting the Inca city of Machu Picchu, has killed 20 and left at least five missing, Peru's Civil Defense force said Saturday.
Thousands of others have been affected by heavy rains, the worst to hit the country in five years.
In the Cusco region, the downpours prompted landslides that trapped 3,500 visitors in and around the picturesque mountaintop tourist site of Machu Picchu.
Peruvian authorities used 12 helicopters and 40 pilots over four days to evacuate all the travelers trapped near the site, Latin America's top tourist destination.
The evacuation of all visitors ended late Friday.
"The good news is that Machu Picchu, along with all the ancient sites, is intact," said Carlos Millas, president of the chamber of commerce in Cusco, a region heavily dependent on the income from visiting tourists.
But the railway that ferries 90 percent of the 1,000 people that visit Machu Picchu each day to the site was damaged in the floods, and Peru Rail warned that repairs could take up to two months.
The rains are forecast to continue through Tuesday, with some heavy downpours predicted for the south, according to Peru's weather service.
Neighboring Bolivia has also been hit by heavy rains that prompted President Evo Morales to declare a national emergency.
At least 10 people were killed and some 22,000 were left homeless by storms, Bolivian authorities said Friday.
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