Canadians among dozens injured in Machu Picchu train crash

Canadians are among the dozens of passengers injured when two trains carrying tourists to and from Peru’s iconic Machu Picchu archaeological site collided head-on on Tuesday (Dec. 30), leaving at least one person dead.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand wrote in a post on X she was “deeply saddened” to hear about the incident, confirming seven Canadians were hurt.

The Associated Press and Reuters reported that the person killed was a rail worker, citing local police officers in the city of Cuzco.

The railway operator reported that a train traveling from Machu Picchu collided with one heading there early Tuesday afternoon near Qoriwayrachina, another archaeological site.

No immediate details were available on the cause of the crash.

Footage shared by local media showed train cars with shattered windows and dented sides stranded on a rail line squeezed between dense forest and a massive rock formation.

Social media posts captured injured passengers receiving treatment along the tracks.

AP reported around 30 people were hurt, while Reuters cited health officials saying the number exceeds 40, with roughly 20 in serious condition.

Machu Picchu, Peru’s most visited tourist attraction, draws about 1.5 million visitors annually, most of whom arrive by train to the nearby town of Aguas Calientes.

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