13 Dead After Tourist Plane Crashes Over Peru's Nazca Lines

Thirteen people died when a small tourist plane crashed while flying over Peru's Nazca Lines archaeological site in the south of the country. The aircraft, a Cessna Caravan C-208 operated by local airline Aerodiana, was carrying 11 foreign tourists and two crew members.

The plane had departed from Pisco Airport around 12:10 p.m. local time. Approximately one hour later, the crew reported an emergency to the Nazca airport control tower, after which all radio contact was lost. The crash occurred in the Socos area, about 6 kilometers from Nazca city and 19 kilometers from the Nazca Lines site.

Peruvian broadcaster RPP reported that the plane caught fire upon crashing, making any rescue efforts impossible. Firefighters and municipal police were dispatched to extinguish the blaze and conduct initial recovery operations. The Ministry of Transport and Communications stated that the cause of the crash is currently unknown and is under investigation.

The Nazca Lines are a major tourist attraction, drawing around 100,000 visitors annually, who typically view the ancient geoglyphs from small aircraft. The ministry confirmed the tourists on board included German, Italian, and Spanish nationals.