Thirteen Dead in Tourist Plane Crash Near Peru's Nazca Lines

A small tourist plane crashed on Saturday in Peru, killing all 13 people on board. The victims include 11 foreign tourists and two Peruvian crew members. According to reports from multiple sources, the passengers included seven Italians, two Germans, and two Spaniards. The aircraft, identified as a Cessna 208 Caravan operated by AeroDiana, took off from the airport in Pisco, located approximately 240 kilometers south of Lima, to fly over the Nazca Lines archaeological site. The Nazca Lines are ancient geoglyphs and a UNESCO World Heritage site best viewed from the air.

Peruvian Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Rogers Valencia stated that the crew communicated a mechanical problem to the Nazca airport control tower before radio contact was lost. Municipal officials in Vista Alegre, where the plane crashed, also cited an in-flight emergency as the preliminary cause. One local resident reported that the plane exploded on impact. Peru's civil aviation authorities and the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents are investigating the wreckage to determine the exact cause of the crash.

In response to the accident, the Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications temporarily suspended the operations of AeroDiana until investigations into the company's compliance with aviation norms are completed. Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori stated that the government is evaluating the possible closure of the Pisco airport, though she noted a preference to wait for official reports. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences to the families of the victims.

This region has seen similar tragedies in the past. In 2022, seven people died in a crash, and in 2010, six people died when an AirNasca plane crashed after a tour of the site.