Early morning in wonderful Machu Picchu, 25 August 2007, Wikipedia.Credit: Pedro Szekely at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrosz .

Date / time: 16/02/2012 11:50:31 [UTC]
Event: Flash Flood
Area: South-America
Country: Peru
State/County: Departmento de Cusco
Location: [Machu Picchu Ancient site]

Description:

Torrential rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks, washing away roads in Peru on Tuesday, with large swathes of the country's southern regions declared an emergency zone. Residents are struggling to carry on with their daily lives. Nationally, 15 deaths have been reported and more than 30 thousand are affected by the deluge. With some 500 miles of roads destroyed, traveling around the region is a perilous task. "The car stopped in a bad place, rocks fell on the road and we ran out of fuel. We could not make room for the other cars and we were in danger. We stayed on the road and there were two women with head injuries and another man who was hit by a rock on his nose." Civil defense officials are struggling to clear roads and reach the thousands of victims. In nearby Cuzco, scores of international tourists are battling to reach the ruins of Machu Picchu. A popular resting spot for international visitors on a main route to the ruins, has collapsed, and other access points are increasingly difficult to navigate. With local villages heavily dependent on the tourist trade, the heavy rain is devastating the local economy and communities. Civil defense workers say the heavy rain could continue into April and may claim scores more homes and leave thousands more homeless.