Peruvian disaster

Devastating floods in Cusco are being ignored by the world's media as it focuses on Haiti

While the world's attention is focused on the relief efforts in Haiti, weeks of rain in the Andes has caused devastating floods near the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. Twenty people have so far been confirmed dead, but as Andrew Dare reports exclusively for WideWorld from Cusco, as the streets there turn to raging rivers, the people going through this hell are suffering alone. How long before the world takes notice?

After weeks of continuous rains in the high Andes, on Sunday, January 24th, just as it got dark, a huge storm hit the highland region again. Three times the monthly norm fell that night, causing the worse floods for years. Streets in Cusco were turned into raging rivers with rapids that I would consider to be grade three if they were actually in a river. The waters washed houses away, demolished bridges and caused landslides all over the city and much worse in the province.

Peru’s most famous tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, was also in the firing line. An Argentinean tourist and Peruvian Guide were killed on the Inca Trail when a huge landslide swept down the mountainside, killing them in their tents, and the trail was closed, forcing trekkers back without the reward of getting to see it after their four-day trip.

The ancient citadel itself was not damaged, mainly due to the excellent draining and building skills of the Incas. The only access into Aguas Calientes, the nearby village, however, is by train, and the tracks have now been washed away in many places, and in other parts the line has been buried deep under thousands of tonnes of mud and landslides.

The Peruvian government was quick to launch a huge evacuation programme using 10 helicopters, and in a few days everyone was safely removed to Cusco. But it will be a long time before the ruins are open, or even able to receive any visitors again.

Unfortunately the mighty PR power of Machu Picchu has rather taken over what little news coverage there has been, pushing the real....

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