Grand Caravan Crash at Heritage Site in Peru Kills 13

A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan crashed during a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines archaeological site in Peru on Saturday, killing all 13 on board. Peruvian officials confirmed that both pilots lost their lives in the accident of the turboprop single, along with seven Italian tourists and two tourists each from Germany and Spain.

Peruvian charter operator Aerodiana confirmed its role in the accident, saying it is cooperating with aviation officials and “will evaluate its flight schedule in accordance with directives issued by the relevant authorities.” The airline has operated tourist flights for the past 14 years with three 12-passenger Grand Caravans.

According to Peruvian officials, the aircraft crashed at around 1:20 p.m. local time in the Pueblo Viejo region, close to the city of Nazca, after taking off from Pisco Airport (SPSO) on the country’s Pacific coast. Emergency services and accident investigators have been working to recover bodies and assess aircraft wreckage close to the Unesco World Heritage Site.