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Mexican injured in bus accident in Machu Picchu in Peru

Four Mexicans were injured in an accident on Monday when a tourist bus went off the road near the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the Mexican government said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) announced on social media that four Mexicans suffered “multiple fractures” in the accident involving the bus they were traveling in.

The bus came off a winding mountain road near Machu Picchu in fog on Monday.

At least five other tourists were also injured, but no deaths were reported. The injured were taken to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

In a video posted on social media by journalist Lourdes Mendoza, a Mexican who was on the bus said three other Mexicans were seriously injured.

From a clinic, Jorge Polanco said that these three people – including his wife – had suffered leg and hip fractures.

“They don't know how to treat them,” added Polanco, who was also injured, according to Mendoza's post.

The news website Perú 21 reported that about 32 foreigners and Peruvians were on board the bus when it crashed at the bottom of a winding road on Monday morning.

According to the bus company Consettur MachuPicchu, the bus was on its way back from Machu Picchu to the town of Aguas Calientes when the accident occurred.

According to witness statements cited by Perú 21, the bus driver's visibility was impaired by fog.

The SRE said the Mexican embassy in Peru is in contact with the injured Mexicans and will provide them with the necessary assistance.

In another video posted by Mendoza on X, Polanco said Peruvian authorities were “trying to transport the injured by train,” presumably to a better-equipped hospital.

However, they are “not organized and nobody knows what to do,” he said.

The town of Aguas Calientes is located northwest of the city of Cusco. A train ride between the two destinations takes more than four hours.

At least 25 people were killed in a bus accident in the Peruvian Andean region of Ayacucho in July. The same number of people died in another bus accident in the north of the South American country in April.

According to Reuters, “Fatal bus accidents are common in Peru because many buses travel on dangerous mountain roads or are driven by inadequately trained drivers.”

With reports from Reforma, El Universal, Perú 21 and AP

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