A small plane carrying European tourists to view Peru's Nazca Lines archaeological site crashed into a field outside the Peruvian city of Nazca on Saturday, killing all 13 on board.
The tourist plane was carrying 11 European visitors and two crew members.
What happened?
The fatal crash occurred shortly after 1 pm (1800 GMT) on Saturday after the Cessna 208 Caravan took off from the airport in Pisco, located about 240 kilometers south of Lima.
“We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died,” AFP quoted Police Major Jorge Andrade as saying.
"Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. We have recovered four bodies so far," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. We have recovered four bodies so far," he added.
{{/usCountry}}In a statement, municipal officials in Vista Alegre, where the crash happened, said that according to preliminary information, the crash may have been caused by “in-flight emergency”.
Andrade, however, did not give any details on what could have been the cause.
Peru's civil aviation authority and the air accident agency will investigate the accident.
Nazca's municipal government informed that the plane had departed from the nearby city of Ica and was operated by Peruvian company Aerodiana, according to a report by AP.
Meanwhile, the airline on its website said that it offered flights over the Nazca lines for the past 14 years using Cessna Grand Caravan planes.
President Keiko Fujimori expressed regret over the accident and said a “temporary suspension” of the airport was being considered.
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Foreign tourists on board the plane
According to AP, Peru's Transportation Ministry informed that the deceased included:
7 Italian citizens (Aged 18 to 54)
2 German citizens (Aged 77 and 78)
2 Spanish citizens (Both aged 52)
The two other fatalities were — pilot Américo Salazar and copilot Irenka Guanilo del Carpio.
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Nazca Lines
The Nazca Lines are geoglyphs etched into the desert sands that date back to between 500 BC and 500 AD, as per the AFP report.
Even now, the meaning of the geometric shapes and animal outlines remains a mystery.