MACHU PICCHU PUEBLO, Peru: Authorities rushed to evacuate the last tourists stranded near Machu Picchu by mudslides and flooding that could leave the fabled Inca citadel closed for weeks. Fewer than 800 tourists were still waiting Friday for a helicopter ride from this Peruvian village outside the famous ruins that are perched on an Andean mountain ridge at 8,000 feet (2,400 meters).
Peruvian Tourism Minister Martin Perez said the remaining tourists — mostly in their 20s and early 30s — could be evacuated Saturday if the weather holds.
Flights began as the sun rose to a clear sky over the shaggy, green Andean peaks. “The sun came out a bit this morning and I hope I can get back to Cuzco today, and then head home to Brazil,” tourist Ana Gutierrez said.
Authorities said Machu Picchu will remain closed for weeks until the government can repair highway and railroad tracks washed out by mudslides and the raging Urubamba River. Authorities have evacuated 2,542 travelers so far since heavy rains on Jan. 24 caused mudslides that blocked the only land route in and out of the Machu Picchu area. The hordes of outsiders caught in Machu Picchu Pueblo, a town of 4,000 people, strained food and water supplies. Hotels overflowed, and travelers grew frustrated over chaotic relief efforts, price-gouging and scarce food. Many were left to eat from communal pots and sleep outdoors.
“It’s been an adventure, a bit more than we bargained for,” said Karel Schultz, 46, of Niagara Falls, before being flown out Thursday.
Authorities closed the Inca trail, a popular four-day trek that ends in Machu Picchu, after a mudslide killed two people Tuesday. The trail also is likely to remain closed for weeks, and is seldom used at the height of the area’s rainy season in February.
