At least 13 people were killed in a small plane crash in Peru, according to police. The incident occurred on Saturday as the aircraft was carrying passengers, mostly tourists, to view the famous Nazca Lines – a vast archaeological complex of giant ground drawings.
Police Major Jorge Andrade said: “We have information that 11 passengers and 2 crew members have died.” The crash site is located in the southern part of the country.
Local media reported that the wreckage quickly caught fire, hampering rescue efforts. The plane was believed to have departed from Pisco, in the Ica region. Other details were not immediately clear.
Peru is a major tourist destination, attracting visitors to historic sites such as the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu and the massive stone walls of the indigenous people in Cusco. According to Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, more than 4.1 million tourists visited the country, which has a population of about 35 million, in 2025.
The Nazca Lines lie on the desert near the southern coast, along the Andes. They date from around 500 BC to AD 500 and have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for their global cultural value.
UNESCO describes the site as “one of the greatest enigmas of archaeology because of its quantity, nature, size, and continuity.” According to UNESCO, “The ground drawings depict living creatures, stylized plants, and imaginary beings, as well as geometric shapes up to several kilometers long. They are believed to have had ritual functions related to astronomy.”
Because of their immense size, the Nazca Lines are usually viewed from the air, making out figures of animals such as monkeys, hummingbirds, and cats. Saturday’s crash involved a plane from the fleet of Peruvian aerial tourism company Aerodiana, according to reports.
