By Iñigo Alexander
LIMA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - A small tourist plane crashed on Saturday as it flew over the Nazca Lines archaeological site in southern Peru, killing 13 people, Peru's government said.
Peru's Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement that the plane was carrying 11 foreign tourists — German, Italian and Spanish visitors — and two crew members.
The Ministry said the plane crashed in the area of Socos, approximately 6 km (4 miles) from the city of Nazca and roughly 19 km (12
miles) from the Nazca Lines site.
The small plane, a Cessna Caravan C-208 aircraft, belonged to the local Peruvian airline Aerodiana and had taken off from the Pisco Airport at roughly 12:10 p.m. local time.
At approximately 1:00 p.m. local time the crew reported an emergency situation to the control tower at Nazca airport, after which all radio contact was lost, the Ministry of Transport said in a statement.
After crashing, the plane caught fire, making any rescue impossible, according to Peruvian broadcaster RPP. Firefighters and municipal police officers were dispatched to extinguish the fire and carry out initial rescue efforts.
Footage shared on social media showed the smoking wreckage of what appeared to be a small plane on arid plains. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.
The cause of the crash is unknown and the government said it is investigating the incident.
Aerodiana said in a statement that it "will assess its flight schedule in accordance with the directives of the relevant authorities."
The Nazca Lines, enormous drawings and geometric figures etched into desert plains in the south of the country, are one of Peru’s main tourist destinations, attracting approximately 100,000 annual visitors. Visitors typically view them from small aircraft flying over the site.
Flights over the Nazca Lines departing from the nearby Maria Reiche Airport had been suspended on Friday due to winds exceeding 40 kph (25 mph), which kicked up dust and reduced visibility.
The strong winds forced a small plane carrying two Peruvian tourists and another aircraft carrying six foreign visitors to divert to the Marcona Airport, according to local media.
(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Mark Porter and Rod Nickel)
