Tourist Plane Crash Kills 13 Near Peru's Nazca Lines
Quick Look
- A small tourist plane carrying 11 foreign tourists and two crew members crashed near Peru's Nazca Lines archaeological site, killing all 13 on board.
- The Cessna Caravan C-208, operated by Aerodiana, reported an emergency before losing contact and catching fire.
- The cause is under investigation.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A small tourist plane operated by Aerodiana crashed near the Nazca Lines in Peru, killing all 13 on board, including 11 foreign tourists. The plane reported an emergency before losing radio contact.
Thirteen people have died after a small tourist plane crashed as it flew over the Nazca Lines archaeological site in southern Peru on Saturday, local authorities said.
Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications said the plane was carrying 11 foreign tourists, including German, Italian and Spanish visitors, and two crew members.
The plane crashed in the area of Socos, about 6km (4 miles) from the city of Nazca and roughly 19 km (12 miles) from the Nazca Lines site, the ministry said.
Nazca's government said the small plane, a Cessna Caravan C-208 aircraft, departed from Pisco Airport at 12.10pm local time and was operated by Peruvian airline Aerodiana. On its website, the airline says that it has offered scenic flights over the Nazca Lines for the past 14 years, using Cessna Grand Caravan planes.
At 1.00pm local time, the crew reported an emergency situation to the control tower at Nazca airport, after which all radio contact was lost, the Ministry of Transport said.
After crashing, the plane caught fire, making any rescue impossible, according to Peruvian broadcaster RPP. Firefighters and municipal police officers were dispatched to extinguish the fire and carry out initial rescue efforts.
Footage shared on social media showed the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be a small plane on arid plains. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.
The cause of the crash is unknown, and the government said it is investigating the incident.
Aerodiana said in a statement that it "will assess its flight schedule in accordance with the directives of the relevant authorities."
The Nazca Lines, a group of extensive geoglyphs etched into desert plains hundreds of years ago by Peru's Indigenous inhabitants, are one of the country’s main tourist destinations, attracting about 100,000 annual visitors. Visitors typically view them from small aircraft flying over the site.
Flights over the Nazca Lines departing from the nearby Maria Reiche Airport had been suspended on Friday due to winds exceeding 40 kph (25 mph), which kicked up dust and reduced visibility.
The strong winds forced a small plane carrying two Peruvian tourists and another aircraft carrying six foreign visitors to divert to the Marcona Airport, according to local media.
Open Questions
- What caused the plane crash?
- Who were the foreign tourists?
- What are the full findings of the investigation?
