January 27, 2010

CHICAGO – Two professors and 21 students from Gustavus Adolphus College are stranded in Machu Picchu, Peru. Heavy rains and flooding produced mudslides in the area, blocking roads and limiting other means of transportation. The group is among an estimated 2,500 tourists and others waiting to be evacuated. Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, Minn., is one of 27 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

The group is safe and morale is good under the circumstances, said trip leader Debra Pitton, professor of education at Gustavus.

The group is expected to depart Machu Picchu in the next several days, according to a Jan. 27 news release from the college. "As weather permits, helicopters are airlifting people out of the area," stated the release.

"The students are very supportive of one another," said Pitton. "Everyone is lifting each other's spirits. Parents should be so very proud of how the students are handling the situation. Fortunately, we are able to stay in a hotel and there is enough food and water. We also had a wonderful opportunity to see Machu Picchu on this trip. The students are appreciative of that experience and will come back with wonderful pictures," she said.

The group is in Peru on a January term study course called, "Education, Healthcare and Poverty in Peru."

Staff of Gustavus is working closely with Pitton, the U.S. Embassy in Peru, travel providers and others in managing the situation. Carolyn O'Grady, director of Gustavus' Center for International and Cultural Education, has been in regular contact with students' families and has shared news of the situation with the campus community.

"We are proud of how our group is handing this challenge," said O'Grady. "We look forward to welcoming them home, we hope soon," she said.

Gustavus Adolphus College's media relations office provided information for this story. Information about the school is at http://www.gustavus.edu/, on the Web. A video statement featuring Carolyn O'Grady, director for Gustavus' Center for International and Cultural Education, is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvVwFohEciQ, on the Internet.

ELCA News Service