A sightseeing flight over one of Peru’s most famous archaeological wonders ended in tragedy when a small tourist aircraft crashed near the Nazca Lines in southern Peru, killing all 13 people on board, the government said.
Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement that the plane was carrying 11 foreign tourists – German, Italian and Spanish visitors – and two crew members.
According to the ministry, the aircraft went down in the area of Socos, about 6km from the city of Nazca and roughly 19km from the Nazca Lines site.
The small plane, a Cessna Caravan C-208 aircraft, belonged to the local Peruvian airline Aerodiana and had taken off from the Pisco Airport at roughly 12.10pm local time (4.10pm Irish time).
The ministry said the crew alerted the control tower at Nazca airport to an emergency at around 1pm local time. Shortly after that call, all radio communication was lost.
After the impact, the aircraft burst into flames, leaving no possibility of rescue, Peruvian broadcaster RPP reported.
Firefighters and municipal police officers were dispatched to the scene to put out the blaze and begin initial rescue efforts.
Authorities have not yet determined what caused the crash, and the government said an investigation is under way.
Aerodiana said in a statement that it “will assess its flight schedule in accordance with the directives of the relevant authorities”.
The Nazca Lines, enormous drawings and geometric figures etched into desert plains in the south of the country, are one of Peru’s main tourist destinations, attracting approximately 100,000 annual visitors.
Visitors typically view them from small aircraft flying over the site.
