JAKARTA - A direct collision between two trains on a line serving Machu Picchu, Peru, killed one person and injured at least 40 others, local authorities said.
The dead were the conductor of one of the two trains, according to the prosecutor's office in Cusco, the city closest to the famous Inca fortress, Al Arabiya reported from AFP(31/12).
Videos sent by passengers to the RPP television channel showed the injured victim lying next to the tracks with two damaged locomotives parked nearby.
The Ferrocarril Transandino train agency said a train operated by PeruRail collided with another Inca Rail train around midday on a single track connecting the town of Ollantaytambo with Machu Picchu.
The cause of the accident is not yet known. A dozen ambulances and medical personnel were deployed to the location in the remote Andes Mountains without direct road access.
Officials said they were trying to identify the train's injured passengers, many of whom were foreign tourists and most of whom were seriously injured.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, the ancient fortress complex of Machu Picchu receives an average of 4,500 visitors daily, many of whom are foreigners, according to the tourism ministry.
Most tourists use trains and buses to reach the historic site, which is high in the Andes Mountains.
Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at an altitude of 2,500 meters (about 8,200 feet) on the orders of the Inca ruler, Pachacutec.
This place is considered a miracle of architecture and engineering.
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