Lima, August 1, 2026 – Seven of the thirteen passengers dead in a plane crash in Peru are Italian. This is reported by La Vanguardia, citing various local media. They were on board a small tourist aircraft, crashed in the Pueblo Viejo area, Ica region. Having taken off from Pisco, the plane had just flown over the archaeological site of Nazca, one of the country’s main sites.
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The flight of the AeroDiana company lost contact with the control tower after takeoff, according to state television TV Perú. It was already preparing to land when it crashed on farmland near Maria Reiche airport, its destination. Upon impact with the ground, it immediately caught fire: for rescuers it was impossible to attempt to rescue the passengers.
Causes unknown, stop due to strong wind
According to a first report, the victims are thirteen, 11 tourists and two pilots. In addition to the Italians, two Spaniards and two Germans also died. The Italian embassy in Lima is in contact with Peruvian authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following the case. The names of the deceased have not yet been released nor has anything been said about the possible causes of the accident. There is a generic mention of “an in-flight emergency.” The bodies were taken to the morgue for autopsy.
The Peruvian Commission for Civil Aviation Accident Investigations has begun collecting technical evidence at the crash site. AeroDiana told AFP it will issue a statement “in the coming hours” to provide further information. Flights in the area had just resumed after a suspension period due to strong wind. It is unclear whether weather conditions may have played a role in the tragedy.
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The mystery of the ‘Nazca lines’ and previous incidents
AeroDiana offers flights lasting between 30 minutes and an hour over the famous Nazca lines drawn over 2,000 years ago in the desert, which form geometric figures and animals that can only be fully appreciated from above. The meaning of the lines remains an enigma: some researchers consider them an astronomical observatory, while others interpret them as a calendar.
The area had already been the scene of plane crashes in the past, in 2022 and earlier in 2010. Those cases also involved tourist planes.
