13 Killed as Tourist Plane Crashes Over Peru’s Nazca Lines

A sightseeing flight over Peru’s world-famous Nazca Lines ended in tragedy on Saturday after a small tourist aircraft crashed, killing all 13 people on board, according to Peru’s state broadcaster TVPeru and local authorities. The accident has prompted an official investigation into one of the country’s deadliest aviation disasters involving tourist flights in recent years.

The aircraft was conducting a scenic tour over the ancient geoglyphs in southern Peru when it went down near the archaeological site. Initial reports indicated that the plane was carrying 11 passengers and two pilots, with no survivors reported. Authorities have not yet released the identities or nationalities of those aboard.

Peruvian aviation authorities have launched an investigation to determine what caused the crash. Officials are expected to examine the aircraft’s maintenance history, weather conditions, flight path and communications with air traffic control as part of the inquiry.

Emergency responders were quickly deployed to the crash site, where recovery operations were carried out in the desert terrain surrounding the Nazca Lines.

The Nazca Lines, a Nazca Lines UNESCO World Heritage Site, are among Peru’s most visited attractions. The massive ancient geoglyphs, etched into the desert more than 2,000 years ago, depict animals, plants and geometric shapes and are best viewed from the air.

Every year, thousands of visitors take short sightseeing flights from nearby airports to experience the aerial view of the archaeological wonder, making aviation safety around the site a key concern.

The latest tragedy has renewed concerns about the safety of tourist flights operating around the Nazca Lines. While scenic flights remain a major attraction for visitors, Peru has experienced previous fatal accidents involving aircraft conducting aerial tours of the site.

Authorities are expected to release additional information once investigators examine the wreckage and recover evidence from the crash scene.

As recovery efforts continue, messages of condolence have begun emerging from across Peru, with officials expressing sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives.

The investigation is expected to determine whether mechanical failure, weather conditions, human error or another factor contributed to the fatal crash.