BUENOS AIRES, August 2. /TASS/. Tourists from Italy, Germany, and Spain were among those killed in a plane crash over the Nazca Lines in Peru, RPP radio station reported.

According to the broadcaster, the aircraft was carrying seven Italians, two Germans, and two Spaniards, alongside two Peruvian pilots. Local authorities previously confirmed that 13 people were killed in the crash in Nazca Province.

RPP reported that the plane sent a distress signal an hour after taking off from Pisco Airport for a sightseeing flight over the Nazca Lines. The cause of the tragedy is currently under investigation.

The Nazca Lines are a series of archaeological sites comprised of monumental geoglyphs carved into the soil. The geoglyphs--colossal geometric and figurative designs--were first discovered on Peru's Palpa desert plateau in 1926. A year later, similar drawings were spotted in the nearby Nazca Desert. Due to their unique shapes, they gained worldwide fame and were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.