A British tourist feared trafficked after vanishing in Peru has been found – but is still sleeping rough after her ordeal left her too terrified to trust strangers offering help.
Hannah Almond, 32, who had travelled to Peru on a yoga retreat to ‘find herself’, was discovered slumped on the pavement by a Peruvian Good Samaritan who flew to Cusco to search for her after MailOnline raised awareness of her plight.
But she refused to accept assistance, with psychosis triggered by the trauma of being violently robbed leaving her too frightened to engage with officials or locals.
Last night, one of her friends made a dramatic transatlantic dash to Peru in a bid to persuade her to accept treatment before she disappears again.
It comes as shocking new footage shows Hannah being attacked and threatened with sticks by furious locals who allegedly burned her belongings.
The 29-second video, filmed on May 22, shows Hannah screaming at furious street traders who destroyed a ramshackle camp under the Belén Bridge where she and an elderly homeless man had been living for a month.
Friends have launched a GoFundMe page to fund Hannah’s rescue from the streets, covering travel, temporary housing, and medical; care to get her safely back to the UK.
One friend said: ‘It is a huge relief that she has been found, when she stopped contacting people we were worried she had been trafficked and we would never hear from her again.
‘After the MailOnline story, a guy she met in Lima who she only knew for about four days caught a flight to Cusco straight away and just started wandering the streets asking after her.
British tourist, Hannah Almond, 32, feared trafficked after vanishing in Peru has been found – but is still sleeping rough after her ordeal left her too terrified to trust strangers offering help
Hannah had travelled to Peru on a yoga retreat to ‘find herself’, was discovered slumped on the pavement by a Peruvian Good Samaritan
‘He found her just asleep on the street, and one of her friends has flown out from the UK to Cusco to try and persuade her to come home.
‘We want her home in the next few days.’
In the disturbing footage, Hannah, dressed in a red and white checked shirt and grey trousers and carrying a soft drink bottle, is initially held back by police but then advances towards several women brandishing wooden broom handles before another man restrains her.
According to eyewitnesses, Hannah and the man were violently removed by a group of merchants on Avenue Ejército’ who pushed them, threatened them with sticks, and then burned all their belongings.
One said: ‘The aggressive ones on Ejercito Avenue… dragged and beat the foreigner. I will never shop at those stores again.
‘She knocked on many doors and no one opened them, the grandfather was the only one who welcomed her with little or nothing that he had.
‘She didn’t have anyone to give her a glass of water or a roof to sleep under.’
Nothing has been heard from Hannah since that day.
It comes as shocking new footage shows the tourist being attacked and threatened with sticks by furious locals who allegedly burned her belongings
The 29 second video, filmed on May 22, shows Hannah screaming at furious street traders who destroyed a ramshackle camp under the Belén Bridge where she and an elderly homeless man had been living for a month
The friend added: ‘Seeing her like that is really hard. I think people just don’t understand what she is saying and just think she is being aggressive towards them.
‘She is one of the most pure loving souls ever – she is very generous and always wants to help people.
‘But she does not trust anyone after getting robbed and assaulted. Some locals burned all her belongings from under the bridge.’
Hannah, who studied fine arts at Leeds Beckett University and wanted to work in the fashion industry, travelled to Peru in March on a yoga retreat to ‘find herself’.
Another friend added: ‘The locals burned what belongings she had gathered this week as they do not like the homeless being there thinking it will affect their business.’
The story has made national news in Peru with one website reporting the situation has left locals shocked and bewildered.
Mark Atkinson, the British Consul in Peru, told local media Hannah arrived in Cusco in early March as a tourist and did not plan to overstay her visa however her immigration status is now in limbo.
According to eyewitnesses, Hannah and the man were violently removed by a group of merchants on Avenue Ejército’ who pushed them, threatened them with sticks, and then burned all their belongings
‘She is in an illegal situation. Her tourist visa has already expired,’ Atkinson explained.
Adding that the embassy is coordinating with local police and has also offered direct support including hotel accommodations and money for food but she keeps returning to the same bridge.
‘Sometimes we’ve paid for hotel stays, given her money for food, that sort of thing. But she always ends up coming back here,’ he added.
A message on the fundraising page adds: ‘Hannah travelled to Peru in March hoping for an adventure, but instead, she has found herself in a terrifying and heartbreaking situation.
‘She was robbed and assaulted, losing her passport, phone, and all of her money. Since then, Hannah’s mental health has severely declined.
‘Despite attempts to help her through official channels, Hannah is deeply fearful and unable to accept support from the embassy or local authorities. She is extremely vulnerable, isolated, and not safe living on the streets of Peru.
‘Hannah is a deeply kind and gentle soul, and we are desperate to get her the care and safety she deserves. We need to bring her home.’
More than 100,000 Brits travel to Peru every year with most stopping in Cusco which is the gateway to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail.
FCO travel advice warns a number of Brit tourists have been targeted by armed robbers in recent years. It adds: ‘Personal attacks, including sexual assaults, are infrequent but do happen, mostly in the Cusco and Arequipa areas.’
