A fatal collision between two trains carrying tourists to the iconic Machu Picchu site in Peru has resulted in one death and left approximately thirty passengers injured.
Details of the Machu Picchu railway collision
The accident occurred in the early afternoon of Wednesday 31 December 2025 near Qoriwayrachina, an archaeological site along the route. According to the railway operator, one train was departing from the famed Inca sanctuary while another was heading towards it when they collided.
The person killed was confirmed to be a railroad worker, as stated by Captain Jhonathan Castillo Gonzalez of the Cuzco police department. Emergency services swiftly attended the scene, with footage from local media showing carriages with significant damage, including broken windows and dented sides, stranded on tracks flanked by forest and large rock formations.
Immediate aftermath and suspension of services
In the wake of the crash, all train services on the vital line connecting the city of Cuzco with the Machu Picchu archaeological site have been suspended. Authorities have not yet released any information concerning the potential cause of the collision.
Images from the scene showed injured passengers being loaded into waiting ambulances for treatment. The incident presents a major disruption to tourism at one of South America's most visited landmarks, which attracts around 1.5 million visitors annually, most of whom rely on this railway for access.
Machu Picchu: A vulnerable world heritage site
The 15th-century Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, renowned for its sophisticated dry-stone construction and structures like the Temple of the Sun, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This tragic accident highlights the challenges of managing tourist infrastructure in remote and historically sensitive locations.
An investigation into the precise circumstances of the crash is now underway as authorities work to establish the facts behind this devastating incident on a key tourist route.
