CUSCO, Jan 29 (NNN-ANDINA) – More than a thousand tourists stranded by heavy rains near the Machu Picchu ruins in southern Peru, have been evacuated to Ollantaytambo by an airlift rescue mission conducted by the Peruvian Government.

According to Peru?s Export and Tourism Promotion Board (PromPerú), once tourists arrive in Ollantaytambo, they are registered and transported to Cusco city by air and road.

Tourism Minister Martin Perez reiterated that tourists do not have to pay anything and they are being rescued regardless of their nationality.

?People with health problems are given priority as children and the elderly have now been pulled out of the area to safety,” he added.

“We deplore the attitude of some officials who take advantage of this situation to benefit themselves and I ask tourists to report these people so we can take action on the matter,” said Perez.

The minister noted that the country?s Civil Defense agency has already sent several tons of food and drinking water to aid the rain-affected people in Cusco.

PromPerú also said that the government is working on the reopening of flooded railroad tracks (between kilometer markers 82 and 110).

Meanwhile, Peru’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Enrique Cornejo said in its capital Lima that all tourists, stranded by heavy rains near the Machu Picchu ruins in southern Peru will be evacuated within the next two days.

?If the weather is good we will evacuate 800 tourists and by the weekend the same number. We have enough helicopters and fuel. The Peruvian Corporation of Commercial Airports and Aviation (Corpac) has doubled the air traffic controllers to guarantee this development,? he said.

He said that in the last few hours they had evacuated 300 people and in the last ten days they have evacuated nearly 1,400 visitors.

An additional 1,200 tourists are still in these areas but this number can increase because more people are arriving from the Inca Trail, he said.

He said that the operations are performed by the National Police and the Army and controlled by Peru’s Minister for Foreign Trade Martin Perez.

?There are a total of 13 helicopters operating from Alejandro Velasco Astete Airport located in Cusco,? adding that as the days go by the situation will be is normalised. — NNN-ANDINA

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