Peru Declares State Of
Emergency In Southeast Provinces
LIMA - Peru has declared a state of
emergency for 60 days in two southeast
provinces due to heavy rains, Peru's
President of the Council of Ministers,
Javier Velasquez Quesquen, said Monday.
The measure covers the provinces of Cusco
and Apurimac, and their towns of Calca,
Cusco City, Urubamba, Canchis Quispicanchi,
Anta and the Convention.
The emergency declaration will be published
in the official gazette El Peruano so that
the measure can take effect immediately.
The minister said that a plane will carry
relief materials to Cusco in the next hours
to help those affected.
Defense Minister Rafael Rey has already sent
five helicopters to evacuate the stranded
tourists in the town of Aguas Calientes.
More than 2,000 tourists and local people
need to be evacuated from the Machu Picchu
region, said the reports.
Continuous heavy rainfall in southern Peru
has affected about 300 people. More than 10
people were killed or missing due to the bad
weather, preliminary statistics showed.
Heavy rain appeared to be threatening
ancient Machu Picchu in the Cusco region.
But reports said the site has not been
damaged.
The Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, Peru's
popular tourist destination, were declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
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