Five tourists and two crew members were killed on Friday when a trip to Peru’s famous Nazca Lines crashed, the transportation ministry said.
It said in a statement that the Cessna 207 single-engine plane belonging to the Aerosantos travel company crashed shortly after takeoff from the Maria Reiche small airfield in Nasca around noon.
None of the seven people on board survived. The Nazca Civil Protection Office said the tourists were two Chileans and three Dutch.
Dozens of planes take off from Maria Reiche Airport, sending tourists (mostly foreigners) over the Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The fabled lines — one of Peru’s top tourist attractions — were etched into the desert floor about 220 miles (350 kilometers) south of Lima, according to UNESCO, Between 500 BC and 500 AD, they depicted animals, plants, imaginary creatures and geometric figures. Kilometers of numbers.
They are thought to have ceremonial astronomical functions or used as calendars. Most can only be seen from the sky.
RPP radio said the Cessna crashed on the side of the road as it began the air tour.
Canal N, who posted a video of the smoking wreckage, said the plane exploded and caught fire on impact, leaving the body charred beyond recognition.
The Department of Transportation said it will investigate the cause of the crash.
In October 2010, an AirNasca plane crashed on the line, killing four British tourists and two Peruvian crew members.
Complete News Source : Hindustan Times
