Four tourists die in bus crash near Machu Picchu

Four tourists were killed and 16 others injured when the bus they were traveling in plunged down a ravine after a visit to Machu Picchu in Peru on Sunday night.

The accident occurred in an area known as Abra Málage, 14,200 feet high and about 60 miles outside Cusco.

Roberto Sánchez, Peru’s tourism minister, said the Mercedes Sprinter minibus was caught in heavy fog when it tumbled down a ravine about 330 feet.

The deceased passengers were identified as visitors from Colombia and Peru. Among the injured were tourists from France, Canada, Argentina, the Netherlands and Spain.

“We deeply regret the loss of human lives and express our deepest condolences to their families,” Sánchez said.

One of the injured passengers, Timothee Malexieux of France, told reporters in Cusco that he was sleeping at the time of the accident.

“I’m physically fine,” he said after being discharged from the hospital.

Nestled in the Amazon of southeastern Peru, Machu Picchu was built as a religious sanctuary for the Incan empire in the 15th century. The site draws about 5,000 tourists daily.

Road accidents are unfortunately common in Peru, where speed, poor road conditions and altitude are exacerbated by mismanagement by authorities.

Three weeks before Sunday’s accident, 16 people died when another minibus crashed in the central Junior province. Thus far, the government has declined to initiate the transportation reform that experts say could remedy the issue.