At least one person has died and dozens have been injured after two trains collided on the railway line leading to Machu Picchu in Peru.
The accident happened around midday on December 30, 2025, on a single-track railway between Ollantaytambo town and the famous Machu Picchu site. According to rail operator Ferrocarril Transandino, a passenger train run by PeruRail crashed head-on with a locomotive operated by Inca Rail.
Authorities said the person who died was the train conductor of one of the trains. Health officials reported that about 20 people were seriously injured, while many others suffered minor injuries.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed badly damaged train engines facing each other on the tracks, broken glass scattered around, and injured passengers receiving treatment beside the railway. Because the area is remote and has no direct road access, emergency teams used about a dozen ambulances to reach the scene and assist the victims.
Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, receives an average of 4,500 visitors every day, many of them tourists from other countries. Most visitors use trains and buses to travel through the Andes mountains to reach the historic Inca site, which was built in the 15th century.
The cause of the crash has not yet been confirmed, and investigations are ongoing as authorities work to determine what went wrong on the busy tourist rail line.
