NAZCA, PERU: A tourist plane carrying 11 foreign passengers and two crew members crashed near Peru’s world-famous Nazca Lines on Saturday, killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
The aircraft went down near Pueblo Viejo, about 6 kilometres from the city of Nazca and roughly 12 kilometres from the Nazca Lines archaeological site.
Tourist flight ended in tragedy
Peru’s Ministry of Commerce and Tourism confirmed the aircraft was carrying 11 foreign tourists and two crew members.
According to local police reports, the plane crashed at around 12:55pm local time while conducting a sightseeing flight and preparing to return.
The aircraft belonged to the local airline Aerodiana and had departed from Pisco Airport.
Plane caught fire after crashing
Authorities said the aircraft caught fire immediately after impact, leaving no chance for rescue.
Firefighters and municipal police rushed to the scene to extinguish the blaze and begin recovery operations.
Images circulating on social media showed smoke rising from the wreckage on the arid plains surrounding Nazca. Reuters said it could not independently verify the footage.
Investigation under way
Officials said the cause of the crash remains unknown.
Peruvian authorities have launched an investigation to determine what led to the fatal accident.
Aerodiana did not immediately comment on the incident.
Flights had been disrupted by strong winds
The tragedy comes a day after sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines were temporarily suspended due to strong winds exceeding 40 kilometres per hour, which reduced visibility by kicking up dust.
According to local media, adverse weather on Friday forced two separate tourist aircraft to divert to Marcona Airport.
Major tourist attraction
The Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site, feature massive ancient geoglyphs etched into Peru’s desert landscape.
The site attracts around 100,000 visitors annually, many of whom take aerial sightseeing flights to view the giant drawings and geometric figures.
