Tourists who had been stranded in Peru due to the recent protests in response to an attempted coup by President Pedro Castillo are being evacuated.
Massive civil unrest started in the country when its democratically elected leader Castillo tried to dissolve Congress amid its third attempt to impeach him, according to The New York Times. Clearly an unconstitutional maneuver, government officials resigned en masse, and the country’s armed forces and national police issued a joint statement saying they would not support him. Following his arrest, his vice president, Dina Boluarte, was sworn in (becoming the first woman to lead Peru).
Protests in support of Castillo sprung up around the country.
Peru declared a nationwide state of emergency, which would suspend the rights of assembly and freedom of transit, among other civil liberties, for 30 days. As well, rail and air travel services were disrupted as protesters stormed airports, according to CNN. NBC News reported that protesters had placed rocks on the train tracks that reach Machu Picchu.
As a result, many tourists became stranded in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The state of emergency began last week, on December 14; only this Sunday (December 18) did Peru begin evacuating tourists via helicopter. Almost 400 travelers were accompanied by tourism police to Ollantaytambo District, northwest of Cusco, and then transported to the airport by bus.
The BBC reports that the airport in Peru's second largest city, Arequipa, reopened as of Monday. In addition, airports in the cities of Juliaca and Ayacucho followed suit on Tuesday. Previously, the airport in Cusco, which is used by many tourists visiting Machu Picchu, had reopened on Friday.
More than 20 people have been killed and more than 600 injured as a result of the unrest.
Related Stories
What’s New in Anguilla This Winter
Allianz Partners Enhances Retail Channel Products