A small tourist plane crashed on Saturday while flying over the Nazca Lines archeological site in southern Peru, resulting in 13 fatalities, according to authorities in Nazca province.
Peru’s Ministry of Commerce and Tourism released a statement confirming that the aircraft was carrying 11 foreign tourists along with two crew members. Local officials indicated that the plane went down near Pueblo Viejo, approximately 6 kilometers (about 4 miles) from Nazca city and around 12 kilometers (roughly 7 miles) from the Nazca Lines themselves.
The aircraft was operated by the regional Peruvian airline Aerodiana and had departed from Pisco Airport. The airline has yet to comment on the incident. Reports from police suggest the crash happened at 12:55 p.m. local time while the plane was on a sightseeing trip and was preparing to return.
Following the crash, the aircraft ignited and was engulfed in flames, preventing rescue efforts from reaching survivors, according to local broadcaster RPP. Emergency responders, including firefighters and municipal police, are on-site working to extinguish the fire and conduct initial rescue operations.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, and authorities have announced investigations are underway. Social media footage shows a smoking wreck on the dry plains, but Reuters could not independently verify these images.
The Nazca Lines are famous for their large-scale geoglyphs and geometric figures carved into desert plains. They are a major tourist attraction, drawing around 100,000 visitors annually who typically explore the site via small aircraft. Flights over the Nazca Lines from nearby María Reiche Airport were suspended the previous day due to high winds exceeding 40 kilometers per hour (about 25 mph), which stirred dust and limited visibility.
The adverse weather caused diversion of two tourist planes—one carrying two Peruvians and another with six foreigners—to Marcona Airport, according to local media outlets.