Small Aircraft Crashes in Peru, Killing All 13 On Board

A small tourist plane operated by Aerodiana crashed near Nazca, Peru, on Saturday, resulting in no survivors among the two pilots and eleven European tourists on board.

Fatal Crash Near Nazca

The small aircraft belonging to Aerodiana took off from the airport in Pisco and crashed in a field about 6 kilometers from the city of Nasca, in the Peruvian region of Ica. According to the daily La Republica, citing Nazca authorities, nobody survived the crash, which occurred on Saturday around 8:00 PM Polish time.

Victims and Nationality Details

There were two pilots and 11 tourists on board the machine. While authorities have not yet announced the identities of the victims, the Peruvian news agency Andina reported, citing a firefighter, that the casualties included two Germans, two Spaniards, and seven Italians.

Following the disaster, the aircraft caught fire, which prevented any rescue operations from taking place.

Emergency Call and Loss of Contact

The crashed aircraft was a small Cessna Caravan C-208. Reuters describes that around 1:00 PM local time, the crew reported an emergency to the air traffic control tower at Nazca airport, right after which all radio contact was lost.

Investigation and Nazca Lines Tourism

William Acosta, a representative of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), reported that experts from Lima will travel to the crash site to investigate the causes of the accident.

The Nazca Lines, which are giant drawings and geometric figures carved into the ground on desert plateaus, represent one of Peru’s biggest tourist attractions. They draw around 100,000 tourists every year who usually view them from the air aboard small planes. TV Peru reported that flights over the Nazca lines had been temporarily suspended on Friday due to gusty winds that had knocked down several trees in the area.