Landslide near Machu Picchu in Peru, 2 people missing and 12 injured

(CNN) — Two people went missing and 12 were injured this Sunday afternoon in a landslide seven kilometers from Machupicchu Pueblo in Peru, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism reported on Monday through its online account Social X, formerly Twitter.

The ministry indicated that 14 affected people were traveling on a road known as the Amazon Route. Following the incident, the injured were taken for medical treatment and the route was temporarily closed to vehicles and pedestrians.

The landslide was caused by heavy rains in the area. However, according to the ministry, the Archaeological Center of Machu Picchu is operating “normally”, as well as trains covering the Cusco-Ollantaytambo-Machupicchu Pueblo section.

Machu Picchu is one of the major tourist destinations in Peru. According to the government, before the Covid-19 pandemic, around 6,000 tourists used to come here every day. This number dropped to just over 2,000 during the health emergency and, once that period ended, officials have tried to ensure that visitor attendance increases again to more than 4,000 per day.