13 Dead After Tourist Plane Crashes in Peru

A small tourist plane crashed Saturday in Peru’s Nazca desert killing all 13 people on board. The victims included two crew members and 11 foreign tourists—seven Italians two Germans and two Spaniards.

The Cessna 208 Caravan operated by AeroDiana was conducting a sightseeing flight over the historic Nazca Lines. It crashed in the Vista Alegre district shortly after taking off from Pisco airport around 1:00 pm.

Police Major Jorge Andrade confirmed there were no survivors noting the severity of the accident. Four bodies have been recovered so far from the smoldering wreckage. While the exact cause remains under investigation by Peru’s civil aviation authority and air accident agency local officials cited a preliminary "in-flight emergency". One local resident reported the aircraft exploded upon impact.

Following the tragedy Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori stated her government is considering closing the Pisco airport which handles a large volume of tourist flights to the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Sightseeing flights over the Nazca Lines have a history of safety issues, with similar fatal crashes occurring in 2010 and 2022. Rescue operations and evidence collection remain ongoing at the crash site.