Mudslides caused by heavy rains in Peru's southern Andes stranded 3,200 tourists at the Machu Picchu Inca citadel on Thursday as mud and rocks blocked the railway in and out of the site, train operators said according to Reuters. The nationalities of the tourists were not immediately known, but no one was thought to be injured, Peru Rail spokewoman Joanna Boyen said. Peru Rail said it was working to clear the railway line and planned to return tourists to the nearby city of Cuzco via a minor road on Thursday. Mudslides are relatively common in Peru's rainy season, which runs from September to February. Six people were killed in April last year by mudslides caused by unusually intense rains in Machu Picchu Pueblo, the village which is the starting point for the 500,000 tourists who visit the Inca citadel every year. South American's best-known archeological site -- the ruins of an entire city, including temples -- was probably the sanctuary of the great Inca emperor Pachacutec at the heart of the Inca empire and is perched on a mountain saddle at 8,400 feet (2,560 meters) above sea level.
