Photo: Getty Images
Hundreds of international tourists found themselves stranded in the ancient city of Machu Picchu after Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was ousted from office.
Castillo was arrested earlier this month after announcing a plan to dissolve the country's Congress. His arrest sparked violent protests across the nation.
As the unrest continued to grow, officials were forced to shut down train service to and from Machu Picchu. Because the train line is the only way in and out of the city, over 800 tourists cannot leave.
"We have asked the government to help us and establish helicopter flights in order to evacuate the tourists," Machu Picchu's mayor, Darwin Baca, told CNN.
Florida resident Kathryn Martucci, 71, told CNN that she was traveling with a group of 13 people and could not get the last train out of the city. Martucci said she has no idea when they will be able to leave, and she is worried because her supply of medication ran out.
"They've been there since Monday, and now she and the other people she's with are running out of the medications they need," Martucci's son, Michael, told CNN. "There's nothing in the tiny town they're stuck in. They're safe and have food, thankfully, but there's no way to get more medication."
She said that the group's tour guide took her to City Hall to get medically checked out and is hopeful they can airlift her out of the city in the next few days.
"There were about 100 tourists in line, and we waited for two hours before we saw the doctor," Martucci said. "They told me I was a priority and that they were going to try to get me on a helicopter out of Machu Picchu in the next two days."
Even if the trains do start running again, the tourists could find themselves stuck in another city, along with thousands of other people, because the Cusco International Airport is also shut down due to the protests.
It is the third-largest airport in the country and is about 50 miles from Machu Pichu, serving as the main entry point for tourists looking to explore Incan ruins. Several roads out of the city have also been blocked by protesters.
"There are 5,000 tourists stranded in the city of Cusco, they are in their hotels waiting for flights to restart," Baca told the AFP.