Two tourism workers die on Inca Trail and Salkantay routes

Two tourism workers have died on popular trekking routes in the Cusco region of Peru following intense rainfall and low temperatures.

Gabriel Ríos Mamani, a 49-year-old porter guiding a group of tourists toward Machu Picchu, was found dead in his camp during the early hours of Tuesday, August 18. In a separate incident in the Suerococha sector of the Salkantay route, 64-year-old muleteer Alipio Quiñones Pérez was found dead. Authorities suspect Quiñones may have succumbed to hypothermia, as his clothing was found completely soaked.

The deaths occurred as heavy rains forced the closure of Inca Trail routes 1, 2, and 3. This closure, which is expected to last until August 22, has left more than 200 tourists and 400 porters stranded in various communities within the Machupicchu district.