Breaking news: 13 killed in Peru tourist plane crash
Thirteen people have died after a tourist plane crashed over an archaeological site in Peru, state broadcaster TV Peru reported. The crash caused Sky News to halt regular coverage as presenter Manish Bhasin relayed the breaking news.
Mr Bhasin told viewers: "Breaking news just reaching us. 13 people have reportedly died after a tourist plane crashed over an archaeological site in Peru. That's according to TV Peru, the state broadcast. We'll bring you more on that as soon as we have it. But just to reiterate what we know, 13 people reportedly have died after a tourist plane has crashed in Peru over an archaeological site."
Crash details and passengers
The crash is reported to have happened at around 1pm local time (7pm BST) in the Pueblo Viejo region after the plane departed from Pisco, Peru. The cause is not yet clear.
The aircraft was heading for the Nazca Lines, a popular tourist attraction and UNESCO World Heritage site in southern Peru, known for its ancient drawings of animals etched into the desert sand.
Peru's state news agency reported that the passengers included seven Italian tourists, two Spanish tourists and two German tourists.
Police and officials respond
Police Major Jorge Andrade told AFP: "Given the severity of the accident, there are no survivors. We have recovered four bodies so far."
In a statement posted online in Spanish by the Municipalidad Provincial de Nasca, officials expressed their "deep sorrow" over the accident and extended "heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased".
The statement added that the plane belonged to the local Peruvian airline Aerodiana, and the airline said it would "assess its flight schedule in accordance with the directives of the relevant authorities".
Previous crashes at the site
Multiple planes have crashed onto the site before. In 2022, another small tourist plane hit the ground during a flight over the Nazca Lines, killing seven on board. In 2010, a tourist plane went down over the site, killing six people on board.
