Plane Crash Near Peru's Nazca Lines Kills 13

The Nazca Lines are huge figures cut into the desert floor between about 1,300 and 1,800 years ago. They form shapes such as a hummingbird, a monkey and a whale, and they can only be seen properly from the air. For that reason, several companies compete to offer flights over the site, which UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) lists as world heritage and which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Saturday's crash was not the first: seven people died in 2022, two accidents in 2010 killed six and seven, and five French tourists died in 2008. Journalists and aviation experts have often questioned how well the small planes are maintained.

The cause is still unknown, and Peruvian authorities have opened an investigation. President Keiko Fujimori expressed regret and said that closing the local airport for a time was being considered. Peru's tourism ministry spoke of "deep sorrow" over the deaths, while Aerodiana said it would review its flight schedule following instructions from the authorities.