Peru Nazca lines plane crash kills seven

Residents walk past the crash site of a small plane in Nazca
Seven people have died after small plane carrying tourists crashed near Peru's Nazca Lines. -AP

A light plane carrying sightseers for a tour of the Nazca lines in the Peruvian desert has crashed, killing all seven people aboard, authorities say.

Brigadier Juan Tirado, a firefighter with the 82nd Fire Company in Nazca, said the plane went down near an airfield in the city. 

"There are no survivors," he said.

Aero Santos, the tour company that owns the plane, said the craft carried five tourists, pilot and co-pilot. 

The identities of the tourists had yet not been determined.

The Nazca lines are huge etchings depicting imaginary figures, creatures and plants that were scratched on the surface of a coastal desert between 1500 and 2000 years ago. 

They are believed to have had ritual astronomical purposes and are recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.