Overview
- The two porters were found dead on Tuesday, August 18 on separate routes: Gabriel Ríos at Warmiwañusca on the Camino Inca and Alipio Ascencio Quiñonez on the Salkantay path.
- Ríos, 49, worked for Alpaca Expeditions and his family says he may have been left without timely aid, a claim now under police and prosecutor review for possible abandonment.
- Police say the Salkantay death of the 64‑year‑old arriero is most likely hypothermia after intense snowfall, while the cause of Ríos’s death remains undetermined and is being investigated.
- Recovery teams faced steep, remote terrain and bad weather, carrying one body on foot for roughly seven hours to reach Ollantaytambo, and 100–150 tourists were temporarily moved to safety because of floods and landslides.
- The cases highlight the acute risks faced by porters on high‑altitude treks and could prompt closer scrutiny of tour operators, emergency response plans and liability under Peru’s laws on abandoning a person in danger.