• Thirteen people, including 11 passengers and two pilots, died in a plane crash.
• The crash occurred while the aircraft was viewing the UNESCO-listed Nazca Lines.
• An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the accident.
• Footage shows the plane engulfed in smoke on the arid ground.
• This incident marks the second such tragedy in recent years at this site.

A small tourist plane carrying 13 people crashed on Saturday over the Nazca Lines in southern Peru, resulting in the deaths of all onboard. The aircraft, operated by the local airline Aerodiana, was flying over the famous UNESCO World Heritage site when it lost contact with the control tower shortly after taking off from Pisco. Authorities have confirmed that the casualties included 11 passengers and two crew members, with the crash site located near Pueblo Viejo, approximately 12 kilometers from the Nazca Lines itself, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Local officials reported that firefighters encountered a chaotic scene at the crash site, with wreckage engulfed in flames shortly after the incident occurred around 1:00 PM local time. Video footage shared on social media exhibited the smoky aftermath, although the exact cause of the crash remains unknown as investigations are underway, as stated by Police Major Jorge Andrade and echoed by BBC.

The Nazca Lines, renowned for their intricate geoglyphs etched into desert landscapes, draw around 100,000 visitors each year eager to view their monumental scale from the air. This recent event has triggered concern, especially given past incidents where tourist planes encountered similar fates over the site, including a 2022 crash that killed seven people, according to sources Reuters and BBC.