LIMA, Jan 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Hundreds of tourists were evacuated Wednesday as rail services resumed to and from Peru's Inca citadel of Machu Picchu a day after a head-on collision between two trains killed one person and injured 40.

About 700 Peruvian visitors and 1,300 foreigners of various nationalities had been stranded in the town of Aguas Calientes since Tuesday's lunchtime crash suspended train services.

Train operator PeruRail said services were slowly resuming Wednesday to and from the archaeological site that receives about 4,500 visitors on average each day.

Most visitors take a train and a bus to reach the UNESCO World Heritage Site high in the Andes mountains.

On Tuesday, a train operated by PeruRail collided head-on with another belonging to Inca Rail on the single track that links the town of Ollantaytambo with Machu Picchu.

The conductor of one of the trains was killed, and 40 people were injured, according to authorities.

Government official Ernesto Alvarez told RPP radio two of the injured remained in hospital Wednesday.

Human error is believed to have caused the crash.

"It appears that one of the engineers, for some reason, either didn't look or didn't heed (the signals), or thought there would be no consequence and ignored them," according to Alvarez.

Police have detained rail four workers and subjected them to alcohol tests.

The Inca empire's ancient capital Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at an altitude of 2,500 meters (about 8,200 feet) on orders from the Inca ruler Pachacutec.

It is considered a marvel of architecture and engineering.

In September, tourists had to be evacuated from the Aguas Calientes train station that serves Machu Picchu after protesters blocked the railway tracks with logs and rocks.

Locals were demanding a new bus company be chosen in a fair bidding process to ferry visitors to the foot of Machu Picchu, and have repeatedly protested to press their demands.