Tourists die in Peru plane crash

The mysterious etchings can only been seen properly from the air

Five French tourists have been killed in a plane crash while on a flight over the famous Nazca Lines in southern Peru, police have said.

Officials say the plane crashed near the Nazca Lines, around 450km (280 miles) south of the capital Lima.

Reports say the Cessna aircraft crashed after becoming tangled in power lines. The pilot is said to have survived.

The lines are ancient drawings etched into the desert sand, and are best seen from the sky.

They were created by the Nazca culture between 200BC and 600AD, and include straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of birds and animals, such as spiders and hummingbirds.

The geoglyphs, as they are technically known, are found on a high desert plateau that stretches between the towns of Nazca and Palpa. They were named a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994.

News agency AFP said the plane was owned by Aero Ica, a firm which runs flights over the tourist attraction.

It also said the pilot had been taken to hospital in Nazca.