Peru’s Machu Picchu, Inca Trail closed as anti-government protests

Peruvian authorities ordered the closure of the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail that leads to the world-famous archeological site on Saturday amid anti-government protests that have spread across the country and left the death toll rising Is.

Dozens of Peruvians were injured after tensions flared again on Friday as police clashed with protesters, with security forces in the capital city of Lima using tear gas to disperse protesters who threw glass bottles and stones as streets But there was a fire.

Some 46 people have been killed in weeks of clashes and another nine in traffic accidents related to barricades erected amid the protests.

In the Cusco region, the gateway to Machu Picchu, Glencore’s major Antapake copper mine was suspended on Friday after protesters stormed the complex – one of the largest in the country – for the third time this month.

Airports in Arequipa, Cusco and the southern city of Juliaca were also attacked by protesters, dealing a new blow to Peru’s tourism industry.

Cultural authorities in Cusco said in a statement that “given the current social situation in which our region and country is immersed, the Inca Trail network and Machu Picchu have been ordered closed until January 21 and until further notice”.

The grand Inca citadel is a major tourist attraction, with more than one million visitors per year, although this number was reduced due to the pandemic.

Peru has been rocked by protests since former President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after attempting to dissolve the legislature to prevent an impeachment vote.

The unrest, which until this week was centered in Peru’s south, prompted the government to extend a state of emergency to six regions while curtailing some civil rights.

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