Tourists are rescued from Machu Picchu after lockdown

The Ministry of Tourism of Peru confirmed that 418 national and foreign travelers were rescued from Machu Picchu and transferred to Cusco.

The group, including Italian tourists, had been blocked in the ancient Inca city last Saturday (21), due to a protest against President Dina Boluarte on the railway line that leads to the most famous tourist destination in Peru.

According to the local government, the rescue of 148 foreigners and 270 Peruvians involved two trains that traveled from Machu Picchu to Piscacucho station, where tourists boarded buses to Cusco.

The Andean country has been in social upheaval for about a month and a half, when Boluarte took office after the failed attempt at a coup d’état by leftist Pedro Castillo, who ended up deposed by Congress and arrested.

Since then, almost daily demonstrations have called for Boluarte’s resignation, and around 50 people have died as a result of repression by the security forces.

At his Angelus this Sunday, Pope Francis asked for prayers for “an end to acts of violence in Peru”.

“Violence erases hope for a fair solution to problems. I encourage all parties to resume the path of dialogue between brothers of the same nation, with full respect for human rights and the rule of law,” he declared.

With information from UOL