(TAN): Six tourists were arrested after being suspected of defecating in a sacred temple at Machu Picchu, Peru, reports said.
The group, consisting of four men and women, was found in the Temple of the Sun, parts of which cannot be visited by tourists for conservation reasons, as per reports. They reportedly damaged a wall at the site – a “fracture” had been found in a piece of stone that had broken off a wall and left a crack in the floor. Faeces were also found in the temple, reports said.
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Cusco regional police chief Wilbert Levya reportedly said the incident was under investigation.
“The six tourists are being detained and investigated by the public ministry for the alleged crime against cultural heritage,” Levya was quoted by Independent as saying.
According to reports, the group included two Brazilians, two Argentinians, a Chilean and a French tourist, aged between 20 and 32. They face at least four years in prison if found guilty of vandalizing the Peruvian heritage site, that is also one of the seven wonders of the modern world, as per reports.
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Built in the 15th century by the Inca Pachacutec, Machu Picchu is located in the province of Urubamba, 70 miles northeast of the city of Cusco. The UNESCO World Heritage Site is also one of Peru’s most popular tourist attractions, which had to introduce ticketing in 2017, after swelling visitor numbers reportedly drove UNESCO to consider putting the site on its list of world heritage sites in danger.
Last year, Machu Picchu started timed-entry slots to better control crowd of tourists.
