Two Spanish tourists were among 13 people killed on Saturday when a sightseeing aircraft carrying European visitors crashed while heading to Peru’s world-famous Nazca Lines, with authorities confirming there were no survivors.
The victims included seven Italian tourists from two separate families, two Spanish nationals, two German tourists and the aircraft’s two Peruvian crew members.
The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan C-208 operated by Aerodiana, crashed shortly after 1pm local time in a field near the town of Socos, in the Pueblo Nuevo district, around two kilometres from Nazca airport.
The flight had departed around midday from Pisco, in Peru’s Ica region, and was due to carry passengers on a sightseeing tour over the ancient Nazca Lines, one of the country’s best-known tourist attractions.
Peru’s transport ministry said the crew declared an emergency while flying near Socos before all radio communication with air traffic controllers was suddenly lost.
Emergency teams from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), airport firefighters and the National Police were immediately dispatched to the crash site, where they confirmed that everyone on board had died.
Police Major Jorge Andrade told reporters: ‘We have information that 11 passengers and two crew members have died.’
He added: ‘Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. We have recovered four bodies so far.’
Firefighters, police officers and aviation investigators worked through the wreckage, which witnesses described as badly damaged and still smouldering. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown.
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori (main image) expressed her condolences following the tragedy.
‘The Minister of Transport and Communications is carrying out the corresponding investigation, and the Foreign Minister is communicating with the consulates of the foreign citizens who have lost their lives,’ she said.
In a statement issued by the Peruvian government, she added: ‘The suspension of the airport is being considered, but I don’t want to say anything until the investigations are concluded and the relevant ministers issue their reports.’
Aerodiana, which has operated tourist flights over the Nazca Lines for almost two decades, said it was deeply saddened by the accident and extended its condolences to the victims’ families, adding that it shared their grief ‘with respect and absolute willingness to provide all the support that corresponds’.
The company said that throughout its 18 years of operation it had maintained a permanent commitment to passenger and crew safety, describing the crash as an event that ‘affects us deeply’ and pledging to cooperate fully with investigators.
The Nazca Lines, created between approximately 500 BC and 500 AD, consist of hundreds of enormous geoglyphs etched into Peru’s desert, depicting geometric figures, animals and plants that are best appreciated from the air. The UNESCO World Heritage Site attracts around 100,000 visitors every year, with dozens of small aircraft operating regular sightseeing flights from Pisco and nearby airfields.
The disaster is the latest in a series of fatal accidents involving tourist flights over the region. In 2022, another sightseeing aircraft crashed, killing seven people, including two Chileans and three Dutch tourists. In 2010, four British visitors and two Peruvian crew members died in a separate crash after a flight over the Nazca Lines.
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#GaleríaAndina 📸 Tragedia en Nasca: 13 fallecidos por caída de una avioneta. 👉 https://t.co/IAME4vse0k
— Agencia Andina (@Agencia_Andina) August 1, 2026
Foto: EFE/Victor Quilca pic.twitter.com/8YdpheRO6J
#NotaDePrensa | La presidenta Keiko Fujimori Higuchi lamentó la pérdida de vidas en el accidente aéreo ocurrido hoy en Nasca, región Ica, y dijo estar a la espera del avance de las investigaciones.
— Presidencia del Perú 🇵🇪 (@presidenciaperu) August 2, 2026
Más información: https://t.co/CIAUqOba9p
#Comunicado | 🚨 El Mincetur expresa su profundo pesar por el sensible fallecimiento de turistas y miembros de la tripulación de la aeronave que sufrió un accidente tras despegar del Aeropuerto CAP FAP Renán Elías Olivera, de Pisco, con destino a la zona de las Líneas de Nasca,… pic.twitter.com/HVg18ElOmw
— MINCETUR 🇵🇪 (@MINCETUR) August 1, 2026
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