Peru closes tourist spot Machu Picchu as anti-government protests grow

The Lost Incan City of Machu Picchu near Cusco, Peru has been closed amid anti-government protests (Alamy/PA)

Peru indefinitely shut the tourist site Machu Picchu on Saturday in the latest sign that anti-government protests that began last month are increasingly engulfing the South American country.

The Culture Ministry said it had closed the country’s most famous tourist attraction as well as the Inca Trail leading up to the site “to protect the safety of tourists and the population in general”.