Lima, Aug 3:
At least 13 people were killed after a tourist plane crashed into a field near Peru’s famed Nazca Lines on Saturday, authorities said. The aircraft, carrying foreign tourists on a sightseeing trip, went down shortly after taking off from Ica.
According to a statement by the Nazca municipal government, the flight was operated by local airline Aerodiana and was part of a routine aerial tour over the Nazca Lines — ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert that are best viewed from the air. The site, created centuries ago by indigenous communities, features massive figures of animals and geometric shapes.
Peru’s Ministry of Trade and Tourism confirmed that 11 foreign tourists and two crew members were on board at the time of the crash. State news agency Agencia Andina reported that the victims included tourists from Germany, Spain and Italy.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. There were no immediate reports of survivors.