The accident occurred on the night of Sunday to Monday, after a visit to the Citadel of Machu Pichu. Four French people are among the wounded, according to local authorities.
Le Monde with AFP
Four tourists died and sixteen others were injured, including four French people, in a coach accident on the night of Sunday to Monday in Peru, a hundred kilometers from the city of Cusco, announced, Monday August 22, the Peruvian authorities.
Three of the deceased tourists are of Colombian nationality, the fourth is of Peruvian nationality, the ministry said in a press release. In addition to the four French people are among the wounded two Greeks, two Canadians, two Israelis, two Argentines, a Dutchman, a Spaniard and two Peruvians, including the driver.
The coach was damaged in “a ravine of more than 100 meters “
The accident occurred after the visit of the Citadel of Machu Pichu. The coach was damaged in “a ravine of more than 100 meters,” said the Minister of Labor and Tourism, Roberto Sanchez, according to which “there was fog there, where the accident occurred” . Some wounded had to be transferred to Lima on an airplane chartered by the Air Force, he added.
“We express our condolences to families and governments of foreign tourists who are unfortunately deceased,” said the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Twitter .
The ancient Inca capital remains the main starting point for tour operators organizing the visits to Machu Pichu. Some 5,000 tourists on average visit the Machu Pichu daily, built in the 15th e century by the Emperor Inca Pachacutec; The site is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and listed on the list of wonders of the world.
Road accidents are frequent in Peru, in particular due to the state of the road network, excessive speed or lack of signaling. Three weeks ago, sixteen people died in the coach accident, aboard which they were traveling. This one damaged in a ravine in the province of Junin (center).