7 Killed When Plane on Nazca Lines Tour Crashes in Peru

7 Killed When Plane on Nazca Lines Tour Crashes in Peru
Residents walk past the crash site of a small plane in Nazca, Peru, on Feb. 4, 2022. (Jose Tejada/AP Photo)
The Associated Press
2/4/2022
Updated:
2/4/2022

LIMA, Peru—A light plane carrying sightseers for a tour of the Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert crashed Friday, killing all seven people aboard, authorities said.

Brigadier Juan Tirado, a firefighter with the 82nd Fire Company in Nazca, said the plane went down near an airfield in the city. “There are no survivors,” he said.

Aero Santos, the tour company that owns the plane, said the craft carried five tourists, pilot, and co-pilot. The nationality and identities of the tourists had yet not been determined.

The Nazca lines are huge etchings depicting imaginary figures, creatures, and plants that were scratched on the surface of a coastal desert between 1,500 and 2,000 years ago. They are believed to have had ritual astronomical purposes and are recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.