Seven dead after the accident of a plane flying over the Nazca Lines in Peru

Firefighters extinguish the fire of the wreckage of the crashed plane this Friday in the Ica region (Peru). Henry Linares (EFE)

Seven people have died this Friday after the accident of a plane flying over the Nazca Lines in Peru, national authorities reported.

The victims are five tourists, three Dutch and two Chileans, and two members of the crew, both of Peruvian nationality.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications said in a statement that the aircraft, a Cessna 207, crashed near the María Reiche airport in the city of Nazca.

The local police chief, Commander Edgar Espinoza, told the press that the aircraft caught fire after hitting the ground and that there are no survivors.

The causes of the accident are being investigated by the National Police and the Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation (Corpac).

The Nazca Lines, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Peru, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to hundreds of gigantic geoglyphs dating back more than 2,000 years.

The 400-square-kilometre protected region, which lies about 450 kilometers south of the capital Lima, between the cities of Nazca and Palpa, is one of Peru's biggest tourist attractions.

Every day dozens of foreigners fly over the place to appreciate the figures in small planes, which offer their services privately.

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