Overview
- Two Inca Rail and PeruRail passenger trains collided head‑on around 1:20 p.m. local time in the Pampacahua sector of the Cusco–Ollantaytambo–Machu Picchu line, a single‑track stretch reported between km 94 and km 97.
- Police confirmed the death of Inca Rail engineer Roberto Cárdenas, 61, while injury counts vary across official and media reports from at least 15 to as many as 50 passengers, including Peruvians and foreign tourists.
- With no road access to the crash site, evacuees were transferred by rail to Piscacucho at km 82, where health teams and at least 12 ambulances from the Health Ministry and other services received the wounded.
- Ferrocarril Transandino said emergency protocols were activated; the Machu Picchu prosecutor’s office led on‑site diligences, and Indecopi opened an ex officio investigation into safety and passenger‑assistance compliance.
- Rail service on the affected section remains suspended pending clearance and investigative work, as tourism authorities activated the Tourist Protection Network and regional officials criticized private clinics’ handling of transfers.