A small tourist plane operated by Aerodiana crashed near Peru’s Nazca Lines on Saturday, killing all 13 people on board. The aircraft, carrying 11 tourists and two crew members, had departed from Pisco Airport and was flying a sightseeing route over the UNESCO-listed desert geoglyphs when contact was lost.
Authorities are investigating the cause after reports that the crew detected a mechanical problem before the plane went down near Pueblo Viejo, close to Nazca in southern Peru. The flight was part of a market built around short sightseeing sorties over one of the country’s best-known heritage attractions, where fixed-wing aircraft are commonly used to give visitors a full view of the lines.
Victims included travellers from Italy, Spain and Germany. Peruvian officials are examining the wreckage, flight path and reported technical issue as they assess whether the operator or local aviation procedures played any role in the accident.