Passenger describes chaos after head-on Machu Picchu train collision

A passenger has described “chaos” after two trains collided head-on near Peru’s most popular tourist attraction, Machu Picchu.

Niels Honkoop, 33, told the BBC he had switched seats part-way through the journey from the middle of the train to the back, before it crashed, injuring many of those sitting near the front.

“I saw staff running around and people crying and people on the floor and chaos erupted,” he said. “We got off the train and I saw people bleeding with very severe injuries.”

A train driver was killed and at least 40 others were injured in the crash, which took place at around 13:20 local time (18:20 GMT) on Tuesday.

Mr Honkoop said the table in front of him broke in two. Shattered glass littered the floor of the carriage, and many were lying wounded in the aisle. One woman he saw was trapped “between a bench and a table”.

He tried to assist by moving luggage and handing out painkillers, as, by coincidence, “I’d had a wisdom tooth removed recently so I had lots of painkillers on me”.

The UK Foreign Office said it was “supporting a number of British nationals involved” in the crash, while the US embassy in Peru said that US citizens were injured.

After the crash, Mr Honkoop said another train arrived with medical assistance. He and his tour group were taken to a nearby village where they were given food and medical care and taken to a hotel.

The collision occurred on the track linking Ollantaytambo Station and Aguas Calientes, the closest town to Machu Picchu. The journey between the two stations usually takes around 90 minutes.

The two trains involved were operated by PeruRail and Inca Rail respectively.

“We deeply regret what has happened,” PeruRail said in a statement, adding that its staff had “immediately” provided first aid to the train driver, the train conductor and the passengers involved in the incident.

The cause of the accident has not yet been made clear.

It comes amid an ongoing dispute between providers of transport to the Unesco world heritage site, with local communities unhappy with what they say is an insufficiently open bidding process.

The trains and buses that take tourists to the ancient town have steep ticket prices and can be highly lucrative for operators due to its limited accessibility.

Built in the Peruvian Andes in the 15th Century, the Incan city of Machu Picchu is one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World.

Visitors can take a series of trains and buses to reach the site, or hike along the Inca trail with a registered tour operator.

In 2011, officials implemented a daily cap on visitors to protect and preserve the site, but concerns remain about over-tourism.