LIMA, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four tourists were killed and 16 others were injured near southern Peru's archaeological site of Machu Picchu, after the van they were riding in fell into a ravine, local authorities said on Monday.

The crash occurred around 7:00 p.m. local time Sunday in the Abra Malaga sector, in the southern region of Cusco, when the Sprinter model vehicle was returning from a visit to the site with 20 people on board.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, the fatal victims included three Colombians and a Peruvian, while among the injured were four French nationals, two Israelis, two Canadians, two Greeks, two Argentines, two Peruvians (one of them the driver), a Dutch national and a Spaniard.

The ministry said police has "initiated investigations to find out the causes of the incident."

Meanwhile, the head of police for the Cusco province of La Convencion, William Falcon Berrocal, said the accident may have been caused by fog, light rain and limited visibility in the area.

Officials from the police and the fire department arrived at the scene of the accident to help the rescue effort, which was aided by passing drivers and passengers who stopped to help.

Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with embassies and consulates to contact the relatives of the victims.

"We express our condolences to the families and governments of the foreign tourists who regrettably died, and we will maintain intersectoral collaboration with the competent authorities through our offices in Peru and abroad," the ministry said via Twitter.