Machu Picchu formally reopens after two-month closure

Tourism Vice minister Mara Seminario says hundreds of foreign tourists have entered the famed Inca citadel following its official reopening Thursday morning. Actress Susan Sarandon took part in the reopening ceremony.

The 15th century Inca ruin is the most visited site in Latin America
Floods in late January disrupted the only rail link from Cuzco to the ruins, trapping some 4,000 tourists, many of whom had to be rescued with helicopters. Peru lost roughly £131 million in revenue because of the closure, according to the country's tourism minister.

The railway linking the site to the rest of the country was damaged in hundreds of places by the flooding and landslides.

The Tourism Observatory had warned that Peru stood to lose up to 0.64 percent of GDP if tourism declined, with particularly serious repercussions for Cusco, where some 175,000 people make a living in the industry.

More than 2,000 tourists from all over the world visit Machu Picchu every day, tourism ministry officials said.