Agencies | Peru:
A tourist aircraft carrying visitors on a sightseeing tour of Peru’s famed Nazca Lines crashed into a field outside the city of Nazca on Saturday, killing all 13 people on board, local authorities said.
According to the municipal government of Nazca, the aircraft was operating a scenic flight over the UNESCO-recognised Nazca Lines—vast ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert by Peru’s Indigenous inhabitants centuries ago. The enormous figures, depicting animals and geometric shapes, are best viewed from the air or designated observation towers.
The plane had departed from the nearby city of Ica and was operated by Peruvian aviation company Aerodiana. According to information available on the company’s website, Aerodiana has been conducting sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines for the past 14 years using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft.
In a statement, Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism said the aircraft was carrying 11 foreign tourists and two crew members at the time of the crash.
State news agency Agencia Andina reported that the passengers included two German nationals, two Spanish nationals and seven Italian nationals.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Peruvian authorities have launched an investigation into the accident, while Aerodiana had not issued an official statement at the time of reporting.
