Tourist Plane Crashes in Peru, Killing 13 on Nazca Lines Flight

A small plane carrying tourists crashed in southern Peru on Saturday, killing all 13 people on board during a sightseeing flight over the famed Nazca Lines archaeological site.

The aircraft went down in the Socos area, approximately 6 kilometres from the city of Nazca and about 19 kilometres from the geoglyphs, shortly after the crew reported an emergency.

The Cessna Caravan C-208 aircraft, operated by local airline Aerodiana, had taken off from Pisco Airport around 12:10 pm local time.

At about 1:00 pm, the crew sent a distress signal to the Nazca airport control tower before all radio contact was lost. The plane burst into flames upon impact, making rescue efforts impossible.

Peru’s Transportation Ministry confirmed the victims included 11 foreign tourists and two Peruvian pilots.

Among the dead were seven Italian citizens between the ages of 18 and 54, two Spanish nationals aged 52, and two German tourists aged 77 and 78. The pilot and co-pilot were identified as Américo Salazar and Irenka Guanilo del Carpio.

“Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. We have recovered four bodies so far,” Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters from the crash site.

The Nazca municipal government expressed “deep sorrow” over the tragedy and extended “heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased.”

Flights over the Nazca Lines had been suspended the previous day due to strong winds exceeding 40 kilometres per hour, which kicked up dust and reduced visibility. The cause of Saturday’s crash remains under investigation by Peruvian authorities.

The Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring enormous ancient geoglyphs etched into the desert, attract approximately 100,000 visitors annually, many of whom view the drawings from small aircraft.

This marks the third fatal tourist plane crash in the area in recent years, following a 2022 crash that killed seven and a 2010 incident that claimed six lives.