'Comer four rescued from Peru mudslides
Laura Keys
WHAT started out as a reunion for a group of friends from Castlecomer nearly ended in tragedy when they were trapped up a mountain in the Peruvian countryside as terrifying mudslides cut them off from civilisation and killed at least 20 people.
Patricia Owens, Siobhan Phelan, Noreen Boland and Tony Boland were stranded in the town of Aguas Calientes - the gateway to the ancient site of Machu Picchu - with no food, water, and thousands of other people for several days before they finally made it to safety last Friday.
The four, along with three other friends - Charlotte Kehoe and Sandra Redmond from Wexford and Beth Holler from America - were part of a group trekking towards Machu Picchu, when five days of torrential rain caused the deadly mudslides which started on January 24. The heavy rain had been expected, as it was the rainy season, but it took several days for the gravity of the situation to reach the hikers up the mountain.
On the third day of their four day trek, that the group were informed that a guide and a tourist in a group just ahead of them on the Inca trail were killed by a landslide.
The group was so close to Machu Picchu at that point they were told to coninue on to the top, as it was believed to be the safest option at that time.
After a brief but memorable visit to the site, they were forced to spend the night at the ancient site, sleeping on a restaurant floor with 260 other travellers, rather than return to Aguas Calientes which was in a state of chaos with thousands of travellers and locals stranded there. Access to the town was only possible by hiking or train, but all vital infrastructure in the area was washed away, leaving it completely isolated.
Patricia’s mother Patti Owens spoke to the Kilkenny People about her daughter’s terrifying ordeal.
“Patricia’s group were nearly at the top of the mountain when the mudslides started, but they were told to continue on to the top because they were so close,” Patti said. “But the rain was so bad they had to keep opening their tents to pour all the water out. When they came back down into the town, they realised there was no way out as the mud had ruined all the roads and railways lines. They were trapped.”
Patti said she had no idea about dangerous situation her daughter was in until several days after the mudslides started.
“I hadn’t heard anything about it, then my son rang from London and said he’d seen it on CNN. He asked if I’d heard from Patricia and I said I hadn’t. I was quite tormented, I didn’t know what was wrong,” she said.
A member of the Boland family quickly got in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs, which confirmed that the ‘Comer four were stranded in Peru, but said they were safe and awaiting evacuation.
“It was Friday morning before I heard from Patricia and by then she’d already walked out to safety,” Patti said. “She said a lot of the tour guideshad abandoned their groups when the mudslides started and that was the absolute worst thing for her. She said there were hundreds of tourists left stranded with no food, no water and not knowing the language.”
Thousands of people hunkered down in Aguas Calientes waiting to be rescued, but evacuation efforts were severely hampered by detoriating weather conditions and constant rain.
Food supplies were running low and people were anxious to leave the town as water levels continued to rise and concerns about the town’s future safety.
Patricia’s group was “very lucky” as their tour guide stuck with them and told them she knew how they could walk to safety back to Cusco.
“At that stage it looked as if the helicopters wouldn’t be getting people out for a long time and people didn’t know where to go or what to do. So Patricia and Siobhan started walking,” Patti said. It was a treacherous 28km on foot to Cusco.
“They eventually came across a railway line which was clear, so then they knew they were going the right way. It look them nine hours to walk out of there and they were very lucky to make it. Noreen and Tony were airlifted to safety in Cusco the same day, but it was just sheer luck that they were picked up.”
The ‘Comer four were among 15 Irish tourists who were marooned in Aguas Calientes due to the mudslides, but all made it to safety on Friday.
Twelve helicopters took advantage of a break in the rain to run almost 100 rescue flights out of the town that day. The rain which caused the horrific mudslides was said to be the heaviest downfall in 15 years.
Having survived their dramamtic ordeal, the four friends have now parted ways with a better holiday story than most to tell when they return home. Tony has headed back to New York, where he lives, while his sister Noreen is on her way back to Ireland.
Despite the drama, Patricia and Siobhan will continue their travels around South America and are due back on Irish soil sometime around Easter.
Patti said she “thanked God” none of the group was injured and despite being terrified for her daughter’s safety, supported her decision to continue her trip.
“I think since she’s over there, she may as well stay. They had a great tour and a great experience, but thank God it turned out okay. I hope that’s the only episode like it,” Patti said.
Tourist numbers around Macchu Pichu and Aguas Calientes were much higher than normal when the mudlsides struck the ancient site - one of Peru’s biggest tourist destinations - because the Inca trail was due to close for the season on January 31. The areas was thronged with people trying to fit in a last minute trip to the ruins.
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Monday 21 May 2012
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