13 dead after tourist plane crashes in Peru
The plane was carrying 11 passengers and two pilots, according to Peruvian state news channel TVPeru
A plane carrying tourists has crashed into a field in Peru outside the city of Nazca, killing 13 people, local authorities said.
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Peruvian state broadcaster TVPeru reported that the plane was carrying 11 passengers and two pilots.
Local authorities said the aircraft came down in the Pueblo Viejo area, about six kilometres from the city of Nazca and roughly 12 kilometres from the famous Nazca Lines site.
The small plane was operated by local Peruvian airline Aerodiana, officials said. The company could not be reached for comment.
According to local news outlet RPP, the aircraft took off from Pisco airport to fly over the Nazca Lines but lost contact with the control tower minutes later.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, and local authorities said an investigation would be launched.
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Video circulating on social media showed the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be a small plane on the arid plains. Reuters was unable to verify the footage independently.
The Nazca Lines are vast drawings and geometric figures etched into the desert in southern Peru — are one of the country's top tourist attractions, drawing around 100,000 visitors a year. Most tourists view them from small aircraft flying over the site.
Flights over the Nazca Lines from the nearby Maria Reiche airport had been suspended on Friday because of winds exceeding 40 kilometres per hour, which lifted dust and reduced visibility.
The strong winds forced a small plane carrying two Peruvian tourists, and another with six foreign visitors, to be diverted to Marcona Airport, local media reported.