SoylentNews

takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Truck Driver Plows Over Peru's 2,000-Year-Old Nazca Lines, Leaving 'Deep Scars' [npr.org]

A semitrailer driver ignored warning signs and drove over Peru's famous Nazca Lines on Saturday, causing significant damage to the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The driver, identified as 40-year-old Jainer Jesús Flores Vigo [twitter.com], was detained and released, according [peru21.pe] to newspaper Peru21.

[...] The rig left "deep scars" across a 50 meter by 100 meter (164 feet by 328 feet) area, the Culture Ministry said [cultura.gob.pe], affecting the surface of the ancient site and damaging three of the geoglyphs.

Argentine newspaper Clarín reports [clarin.com] that the driver said he didn't know the area because he had never traveled there before and that he left the road because of a mechanical problem. The newspaper speculated that the driver actually drove off the Pan-American Highway to avoid paying a toll.

Original Submission