Police in Peru report that 13 people, among them foreign tourists, have been killed in a plane crash in southern Peru, near the Nazca Lines.

Axar.az reports, citing The Guardian, that local authorities in Nazca confirmed that 11 tourists and two pilots died when the Cessna Grand Caravan crashed in Pueblo Viejo, approximately 4 miles (6km) from the city of Nazca and roughly 12km from the Nazca Lines site.

The passengers were identified as seven Italians, two Germans – believed to be a couple – and two Spanish people. The pilot and copilot were named as Americo Salazar Cuellar and Irenka Del Carpio respectively.

The plane had departed the nearby city of Pisco at about 1pm local time (7pm BST) to fly over the Nazca Lines, but minutes later lost contact with the control tower and crashed at 1.20pm, police reported.

The cause of the crash is as yet unknown, and the local authorities have launched an investigation.