13 killed in tourist plane crash in Peru — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): Local authorities in Peru say 13 people, including 11 foreign tourists, have been killed after a tourist plane crashed near the city of Nazca. The Associated Press reported that the plane crashed into a field on Saturday while carrying tourists on a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines. In a statement, the Nazca municipal government said the aircraft was carrying tourists for an aerial tour of the historic Nazca Lines. The Nazca Lines are a collection of large ancient geoglyphs in Peru’s desert. They were created hundreds of years ago by the country’s Indigenous inhabitants and depict various animals and other figures. According to the Nazca regional government, the aircraft had taken off from the city of Ica and was operated by Peruvian company Aerodiana. Peru’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism said 11 foreign tourists and two crew members were on board the aircraft. The country’s state-run news agency Andina reported that the victims included seven Italians, two Germans and two Spaniards. Peruvian authorities said an investigation had been launched to determine the cause of the crash. Aerodiana has not yet commented on the incident.