A tourist aircraft carrying visitors on a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines crashed on Saturday, leaving 13 people dead, according to Peru's state broadcaster TVPeru. The Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attract thousands of visitors each year who take short flights to view the enormous ancient geoglyphs from the air.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the crash site soon after the aircraft went down. Rescue teams confirmed that there were no survivors, and aviation authorities have begun recovering wreckage while investigating what caused the accident. Officials have not yet released a final determination on whether weather, mechanical failure, or another factor contributed to the crash.
The tragedy has drawn condolences from across Peru and prompted renewed attention to safety standards for sightseeing flights over the Nazca desert. Tourism operators are cooperating with investigators as authorities assess whether additional safety measures may be needed for future flights.
The crash is one of the deadliest aviation accidents involving a tourist sightseeing flight in Peru in recent years. Investigators are expected to release preliminary findings after examining the aircraft's maintenance records, flight path, and weather conditions at the time of the accident.
