Peru protests: Iconic Machu Picchu closed indefinitely - BBC

Peru has closed its celebrated tourer tract Machu Picchu indefinitely implicit the ongoing protests against the country's president.

The authorities said it took the determination to support tourists and its ain citizens.

Hundreds of people, mostly foreigners, are presently thought to presently beryllium stranded astatine the ft of the site.

Dozens of radical person been killed successful months of convulsive protests, which began aft the erstwhile person was ousted.

The demonstrators are demanding caller elections and calling for caller President Dina Boluarte to basal down, which she has truthful acold refused to do.

In the latest clashes, roads were blocked and constabulary fired teargas astatine stone-throwing demonstrators successful the capital, Lima.

The stranded tourists astatine Machu Picchu are the latest to find themselves incapable to leave, with the protests disrupting transport services to and from the site.

Machu Picchu is simply a 15th-century Incan citadel successful the Andes mountains that was named 1 of the New Seven Wonders of the World successful 2007. It's hugely fashionable with tourists, with astir a cardinal radical visiting each year.

Saturday's closure comes aft obstruction services to the tract were suspended aft the way was damaged by demonstrators.

In a statement, Peru's civilization ministry said that those who had already bought tickets would beryllium capable to usage them for 1 period aft the extremity of the demonstrations, oregon other refund them.

Authorities announced connected Saturday that different protester had died pursuing demonstrations successful the confederate portion of Puno, wherever constabulary stations were acceptable connected fire.

At slightest 58 Peruvians person been injured successful the latest clashes.

The European Union has condemned the wide unit and what it called the "disproportionate" usage of unit by the police.

"The EU calls connected the authorities and each governmental actors to instrumentality urgent steps to reconstruct calm and guarantee an inclusive dialog with the information of civilian nine and affected communities arsenic the mode retired of the crisis," it said successful a statement.

Demonstrators privation Ms Boluarte to measurement speech and telephone caller elections, and for her left-wing predecessor, Pedro Castillo, to beryllium released from custody.

Some determination governors person besides called for the president's resignation.

The state has been done years of governmental turmoil, which came to a caput erstwhile Mr Castillo was arrested past period for trying to dissolve Congress.

He is being investigated connected charges of rebellion and conspiracy. He denies each the accusations, insisting that helium is inactive the country's morganatic president.

Ms Boluarte has resisted calls to measurement down and issued a telephone earlier this week to Peruvians to guarantee their protests were peaceful.