The last young backpackers flew away from Machu Picchu as clouds closed in again, leaving Peru to grapple with flood damage that will close its top tourist site for weeks, or perhaps months.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs was last night providing consular assistance to nine Irish tourists who were among 2,000 people stranded by mudslides in the Machu Picchu region of Peru where a state of emergency has been declared.

A mudslide on the famed Inca trail to Machu Picchu killed an Argentinian tourist and a Peruvian guide, as authorities evacuated hundreds of tourists by helicopter from a flood zone where more than 1,500 others were still stranded.

Heavy rains and mudslides in Peru blocked the train route to the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, keeping nearly 2,000 tourists stranded.