World

One dead, 30 hurt in Machu Picchu tourist train crash

By AAP Newswire

Dec 31, 2025

A file photo of trains at Machu Picchu — Two trains on the Machu Picchu tourist route have collided, killing a worker and injuring dozens. -AP

A rail worker has been killed and dozens of passengers injured after two trains collided head-on on ⁠the railway leading to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

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According to the company operating the railway, a train coming from Machu Picchu collided with a train headed there, near Qoriwayrachina, also an archaeological site.

Police are ‍investigating the collision between trains operated by Inca Rail SA and PeruRail SA, which mainly transport tourists to the iconic site.

A ‌health official said about 20 people were in relatively serious condition.

A police officer ‍added that foreign tourists were among the injured.

The person killed was a railroad worker, according to Jonathan Castillo Gonzalez, a captain with the Cuzco police department.

He told the Associated Press the railway suspended services along the rail line connecting Machu Picchu with the nearby city of Cuzco after the accident.

Videos on local media showed train cars with broken windows and dented sides stuck along a rail line hemmed in between a lush forest and a massive rock.

Machu Picchu gets about 1.5 million visitors per year, mostly arriving by train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes.

Known for its perfectly fitting stone bricks, the site was built in the 15th century by the Incas and served as a sanctuary for the nation's emperors.