Thirteen people died this Saturday in Peru when a small plane carrying tourists crashed near the famous Nazca Lines, according to the Peruvian government.
According to authorities, the aircraft had taken off from the airport in the city of Pisco and was heading to fly over the famous archaeological site in the desert. There were 11 passengers and two pilots traveling.
The accident occurred around 1:00 p.m. local Peruvian time in the Pueblo Viejo district.
“The crew reported an emergency situation to the control tower of the Nasca airfield (sic), after which all radio contact was lost,” read the Peruvian government statement.
The causes of the accident are still unknown.
The General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics and the Aviation Accident Investigation Commission activated the protocols to clarify what happened to the small plane.
Peru's new president, Keiko Fujimori, said her government was considering the possible closure of the Pisco airport.
The Nazca Lines are a popular tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern Peru, consisting of huge geoglyphs on the sand that have stood for centuries.
“No survivors”
"Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. So far we have recovered four bodies," said police commander Jorge Andrade this Saturday.
According to the local press, the 11 passengers were foreigners: seven Italians, two Germans and two Spaniards. The two crew members were Peruvian.
Video showed firefighters spraying water at the crash site as smoke rose from the wreckage of the plane.
National and local authorities expressed their condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims.
According to the authorities, the plane was operated by Aerodiana, a company authorized to carry out tourist overflights of this type.
The BBC contacted the company for comment. According to AFP, the company will soon publish information about the incident.
Municipal officials at the scene of the accident reported that preliminary information indicated an “in-flight emergency” as the reason for the tragedy, without offering further details.
Dozens of small planes operate from the Pisco airport, transporting a high volume of foreign tourists visiting the Nazca Lines.
This is not the first plane to crash near this archaeological site in recent decades.
In 2022, another tourist plane crashed, leaving seven people dead.
And in 2010, four British tourists and two Peruvian crew members died when an AirNasca aircraft crashed.
