A tourist aircraft crashed near Peru's UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines on Saturday (1 August), killing all 13 people on board, authorities said.
The aircraft went down in the Pueblo Viejo area shortly after departing María Reiche Airport for a sightseeing flight over the ancient geoglyphs. The victims included 11 passengers from Germany, Italy and Spain and two crew members.
Peruvian National Police Major Jorge Andrade confirmed the details.
"Eleven passengers and two crew members, which would be the pilot and the guide or co-pilot, but it is a tourism service aircraft," Andrade told reporters.
Asked whether there were any survivors, he replied, "Given the magnitude, no, there are none."
The Ministry said the plane crashed in the area of Socos, approximately 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Nazca and roughly 19 km (12 miles) from the Nazca Lines site.
Firefighters were seen battling smoke rising from the wreckage as emergency crews secured the crash site.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined, and authorities have not released the identities of the victims.
William Acosta, an inspector with Peru's Civil Aviation Directorate General, said Italian tourists were believed to be among those killed, although he could not confirm the nationalities of all passengers.
The crash occurred just one day after sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines resumed following a temporary suspension caused by strong winds, according to Peru's state news agency Andina.
The Nazca Lines, enormous geoglyphs etched into the desert in southern Peru, are one of the country's best-known tourist attractions and have been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994. They are typically viewed from small sightseeing aircraft departing from nearby airfields.
The aircraft involved in Saturday's crash belonged to local operator Aerodiana, according to municipal authorities, who expressed their condolences to the victims' families.
The accident is the latest in a series of fatal crashes involving sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines.
In 2022, seven people were killed when another tourist aircraft crashed near the site, while a similar accident in 2010 claimed six lives.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said...
Georgia could gain a direct electricity link to Europe under plans for a new overland energy corridor connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye ...
Türkiye has unveiled plans for joint military exercises and defence production with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan under a new security pact that i...
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
The U.S. will impose unprecedented measures on Iran in order to economically isolate the country, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
Iran and Afghanistan are seeking closer cooperation in agriculture, livestock and irrigation during a three-day Iranian ministerial visit to Kabul, as both sides look to strengthen trade and rural economies.
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, according to UN investigators, marking the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since March 2022.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 14th of August, covering the latest developments.
Ukraine’s attacks on Russian ports, refineries and shipping infrastructure are putting Moscow’s energy exports under growing pressure and disrupting key trade routes, raising concerns over commercial shipping and global food supplies.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment