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Travelers stranded at the train station not far from Machu Picchu
Photo: JESUS TAPIA / AFP
Because of the unrest in Peru, hundreds of foreign visitors cannot easily leave the world-famous Inca site of Machu Picchu on the mountain of the same name.
The authorities said on Wednesday that 779 tourists were affected.
Because of the violent protests against the dismissal and arrest of President Pedro Castillo, the railway line between the World Heritage Site and the city of Cusco was closed.
The railway line, which is a hundred kilometers long, is the easiest and most frequently used route to Machu Picchu.
The Peruvian state railway "PeruRail" cited security concerns as the reason for the blockage and referred to calls for demonstrations by various organizations in Cusco.
The train station is in the small town of Aguas Calientes, at the foot of Machu Picchu.
"We can't get away from here," Israeli Gale Dut told an AFP reporter.
"I'm traveling with my children, it's really a problem." She just wanted to leave Peru "in complete safety," but that's not possible at the moment.
The mayor of the Machu Picchu district, Darwin Baca León, told the Peruvian news agency Andina: "The evacuation of tourists is urgent." A solution is already being worked on, but concerns are due to the "considerable" protests along the train route.
He therefore asked for support in setting up an airlift.
In Peru there have been protests for days against the dismissal and arrest of Castillo and the assumption of office by the new President Dina Boluarte.
In response to the violence, the government declared a nationwide state of emergency.
jpz/AFP