In pictures: Machu Picchu airlift

A Peruvian soldier guides foreign tourists waiting to be evacuated by helicopter from the Machu Picchu site

The remaining nearly 1,300 tourists stranded near the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru have been airlifted to safety after floods destroyed road and rail links, local officials say.

Foreign tourists are evacuated aboard an Mi-8 military helicopter

Around 25 tourists were being ferried out every fifteen minutes on Friday by seven helicopters working in rotation.

Tourists wait to be evacuated by helicopter from the Machu Picchu area

Nearly 4,000 tourists and local residents have been rescued since Monday. The evacuation was conducted by age, with the elderly and children taken first.

The swollen Urubamba river passes through Aguas Calientes, at the foot of the Machu Picchu archeological site.

Tourists were left trapped in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes after heavy rain and mudslides had blocked the train route to the Machu Picchu site.

Japanese tourists wait in line to be evacuated by helicopter from the Machu Picchun area

As tourists waited for helicopters the authorities in the city of Cuzco declared a state of emergency in Peru's south-eastern region. They said thousands of people had had their homes destroyed by floods and landslides.

Foreign tourists help to place sand bags to contain floodwaters next to the Urubamba river, near the village of Aguas Calientes

While waiting for rescue a number of the tourists helped build up defences against the floodwater.

Peruvian soldiers control foreign tourists trying to secure their passage away from Machu Picchu

With the rail link cut, supplies of food and water were limited. Bottles of water are said to be selling at five times the normal price and some tourists' patience was stretched.