Plane crash in Peru kills all six passengers

A small Cessna passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Peru near the Nazca Lines yesterday leaving all six occupants dead according to local authorities. The victims of the crash were three men and one woman from Britain and the Peruvian pilot and co-pilot. The plane is believed to belong to Nazca Airlines.

According to the Associated Press the Nazca police chief claims the cause of the accident seems to be engine failure. According to the Telegraph police said the plane was trying to make an emergency landing in a field when it crashed. As of the last report the police were still trying to recover the bodies of the dead. The Associated Press has also reported that the British refused to comment without permission from London.

The Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of ancient animal depictions, are a popular destination to fly over, but there have been worries about insufficient supervision of the aging planes which make the trip. There have been previous crashes in the area with one taking place in February when a Cessna 206 crashed killing all seven occupants; that flight was also operated by Nazca Airlines. A crash in April 2008 killed five French tourists, but the pilot survived.