The Prince of Wales is to declare the Commonwealth Games in Delhi open at a glittering ceremony.
Charles and India's president Pratibha Patil will both preside at the event staged in front of an arena audience of around 60,000 and millions of television viewers.
The Games have seen near unprecedented levels of security for a major sporting event and the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium has been locked down following the final dress rehearsal on Friday.
Around 5,000 police personnel have been posted to the stadium and other measures have seen snipers and commandos deployed to the area and army units have been put on standby, according to reports.
The Delhi games have been plagued by a catalogue of problems - from concerns about living conditions in the athletes' village to a pedestrian bridge collapsing near the main stadium.
But organisers have worked round the clock to try and fix the issues and Army engineers were even drafted in to repair the broken walkway.
Many notable names in world athletics have chosen to either overlook the Games or have withdrawn through injury but amongst those taking part are double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and reigning World 10-metre platform diving champion Tom Daley.
Before the opening ceremony the Prince, who has been joined by the Duchess of Cornwall, will visit the athletes.
The Earl of Wessex, who is vice-patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, will join the royal couple as they chat to competitors in the athletes' village.
The group will tour various facilities including the weightlifting and wrestling areas and the sections used by the swimmers.
The Prince of Wales is to declare the Commonwealth Games in Delhi open at a glittering ceremony.
Charles and India's president Pratibha Patil will both preside at the event staged in front of an arena audience of around 60,000 and millions of television viewers.
The Games have seen near unprecedented levels of security for a major sporting event and the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium has been locked down following the final dress rehearsal on Friday.
Around 5,000 police personnel have been posted to the stadium and other measures have seen snipers and commandos deployed to the area and army units have been put on standby, according to reports.
The Delhi games have been plagued by a catalogue of problems - from concerns about living conditions in the athletes' village to a pedestrian bridge collapsing near the main stadium.
But organisers have worked round the clock to try and fix the issues and Army engineers were even drafted in to repair the broken walkway.
Many notable names in world athletics have chosen to either overlook the Games or have withdrawn through injury but amongst those taking part are double Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington and reigning World 10-metre platform diving champion Tom Daley.
Before the opening ceremony the Prince, who has been joined by the Duchess of Cornwall, will visit the athletes.
The Earl of Wessex, who is vice-patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, will join the royal couple as they chat to competitors in the athletes' village.
The group will tour various facilities including the weightlifting and wrestling areas and the sections used by the swimmers.
A British soldier has been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said.
The soldier was from the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
He died in the blast while on patrol in Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province on Saturday.
The soldier's next of kin have been informed.
A total of 339 British troops have died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001.
Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, Lieutenant Colonel David Eastman, said: "It is with a deep sense of regret that I must confirm the death of a soldier from 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles yesterday afternoon.
"The soldier was patrolling within the Nahr-e Saraj District of Helmand Province, as part of the ongoing mission to protect and reassure the local population, when he was struck by an explosion.
"He has made the ultimate sacrifice while steadfastly fulfilling his duty protecting others.
"His loss will be greatly felt by all who knew him; he will not be forgotten."
An inquiry is under way after an eight-year-old girl drowned at a holiday park.
The youngster from the West Midlands got into difficulties in a swimming pool at the caravan park in Talacre, Flintshire.
She was taken to hospital in Rhyl on Saturday but later died.
Police are not treating the incident as suspicious and have informed the Health and Safety Executive.
A North Wales Police spokesman said: "North Wales Police are continuing their inquiries following the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl at the Talacre Park swimming pool on Saturday afternoon.
"The child from the West Midlands, who was on holiday with her family, was taken by ambulance to Glan Clwyd Hospital where she was pronounced dead at 4.58pm.
"Police are not treating the death as suspicious.
"The Health and Safety Executive and the North East Wales Coroner have been informed."
The pool at Talacre Beach Caravan and Leisure Park in Station Road was closed with a sign on the entrance apologising for any inconvenience.
The park's brochure advises that all children aged eight years and under who use the indoor heated pool "must be accompanied in the water by a responsible adult swimmer over the age of 16 years at all times".
Two toned, stripped and "fit" Commonwealth Games athletes had the Duchess of Cornwall a little hot under the collar when she stopped their training session for a chat.
Camilla was drawn to the competitors who had thrown off their T-shirts and showed off their six-packs, as temperatures soared into the 90s Fahrenheit.
The royal, who was touring the athletes' village in Delhi with the Prince of Wales, praised the decathletes' bodies, telling them "you guys look very fit".
The pair were Northern Ireland team member Tom Reynolds, 25, from Bangor, and his training partner Roger Skedd, 28, who lives in Uxbridge, west London, but is representing his father's homeland Scotland.
Mr Reynolds had been practising the shot put at the village stadium when Camilla wandered over. He said: "The Duchess came up to us and said, 'I see you're suitably dressed - how are you coping with the heat?'"
Charles was not to be out-done, and found the Australian women's hockey team going through a post-training recovery session in a shallow pool.
The 16 team-mates, who were dressed in shorts and cropped tops, joked with the heir to the throne - who was wearing a trademark double-breasted suit - about the hot and humid conditions.
Rachel Lynch, 24, from Perth, said: "He said he was hot in his suit and we were hoping he would come in."
The royal couple spent about half-an-hour in the heat, meeting athletes from some of the 71 nations who have sent competitors to the Games which will be opened by a glittering ceremony tonight.
Camilla, who is known to dislike the heat, carried a parasol, but was still seen looking a little hot.
David Cameron has delivered his strongest hint yet that "middle class" benefits could be squeezed in order to fund a major overhaul of the welfare state.
The Prime Minister fuelled speculation that child benefit could be means-tested by suggesting some universal payouts were no longer "affordable".
As the Tory conference kicked off in Birmingham, it was confirmed that a deal had been struck between Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Chancellor George Osborne over root and branch reform.
The two men had clashed repeatedly over how to fund amalgamating dozens of benefits into a "Universal Credit", with the heavy up-front costs causing alarm in the Treasury as the coalition struggled to slash budgets.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Cameron praised the "refreshingly radical" plan and said the price tag was being reduced by introducing the changes "progressively" over two parliaments.
The premier denied there would be "losers" from the reforms, but also stressed it would be impossible to tackle the deficit without "making savings in the welfare budget" - which accounts for one pound of every three it spends.
Although he refused to give details of where cuts would fall ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review on October 20, Mr Cameron said: "On the one hand we have got to ask, are there some areas of universal benefits that are no longer affordable?
"But on the other hand let us look at the issue of dependency where we have trapped people in poverty through the extent of welfare that they have."
He went on: "I think it is very important that there are universal benefits. We pay into this system, that is why I want a really good state pension system. We are the first government in a long time to link the pension back to earnings."
Pressed on whether he was against means-testing in principle, Mr Cameron replied: "What we basically need is a system that has universal and fair elements that are part of a decent and civilised society, like a good strong pension provision, and then in terms of the work-related benefits you need a system that means you are always better off in work and working hard."
Dragons Den star Duncan Bannatyne has joined hundreds of well-wishers who braved pouring rain to support the policeman blinded by gunman Raoul Moat.
The millionaire entrepreneur joined Pc David Rathband in a blindfold walk up the Northumberland Coast, to raise money for The Blue Lamp Foundation. The charity was founded by the injured officer to support emergency services staff injured in the line of duty.
Around three hundred people, including members of Pc Rathband's family and fellow police officers, joined the sponsored "goodwill stroll" from Seaton Sluice to Blyth, four miles away.
The 42-year-old lost sight in both eyes after he was blasted while sitting unarmed in a patrol car on an A1 roundabout on July 4 by on-the-run murderer Moat.
Mr Bannatyne, who is patron of the Blue Lamp Foundation, said: "Who would not want to support this? David's courage since he was blinded has been phenomenal.
"He asked me to be patron of the charity and I thought it was a good idea, then he invited me to walk four miles up the coast with him, blindfolded. What he did not tell me was that it would be pouring down, but if he can do it, then we all can."
Pc Rathband's friend, Daryl Gilbert, had travelled from Stafford to take part. The father-of-three, a carpenter, said his friend's bravery was incredible.
He said: "I'll be doing the walk blindfolded so that I can experience for myself what life is like for David now.
"I was devastated by what happened to him, but he has just got on with life and is making the best of things and is doing things like this, to help other people. I've tried closing my eyes to navigate my way around my own house to feel what it must be like to be blind and it is very hard; like being a child and learning to walk again.
"But David in his own home can get around now like he is sighted. He's just an amazing bloke."
David Cameron insisted he would not take "risks" with Britain's defences as he sought to dampen fears over the coalition's drastic austerity measures.
The Prime Minister said decisions in areas such as military capability were still being taken for the long term rather than to achieve immediate savings.
The comments came as the Conservatives kicked off their first conference since regaining power, with the gathering set to be dominated by looming public spending cuts.
It emerged last week that Defence Secretary Liam Fox had written privately to Mr Cameron warning that "draconian" reductions being demanded by the Treasury in his department would have "grave consequences".
But interviewed on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, the premier played down the simmering row, saying Cabinet ministers were bound to make "very, very strong representations".
"He knows and I know that I am passionately pro-defence, passionately pro our armed forces," Mr Cameron said.
"I will not take any risks with Britain's defence. But I want us to have something that the last government did not do - a proper review to make sure we are spending money in a way that protects our country for the future. That is what this is about."
He went on: "What I want to reassure people is that this is not just about the finances. This is being done thinking about what is right for the country in terms of our defence."
Mr Cameron laid the blame for the situation squarely on Labour, saying the coalition had been set an "impossible question".
"We have got a defence budget that we were left £38 billion overspent... of all the things I have inherited as Prime Minister this is the biggest mess that I have had."
Britain has followed the US in upgrading its travel advice for Europe following a series of terror alerts.
The Foreign Office warned that there was a "high threat" of attacks in countries including France and Germany, rather than the "general threat" previously identified.
The move came shortly after the State Department issued guidance urging Americans to be vigilant when visiting Europe, highlighting the "potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".
The Foreign Office advice now states: "Like other large European countries, the French/German authorities continue to consider that there is a high threat of terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."
The warnings have been heightened after intelligence officials in Britain intercepted a credible al Qaida-linked terror plot last week. The planned attack would reportedly have been similar to the deadly commando-style raids in Mumbai, India, two years ago, with other European cities, in France and Germany, also targeted.
On Tuesday night the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated following a bomb threat called in from a telephone booth. It was the second such alert at the tower in two weeks. A search by bomb experts found nothing unusual, and it was reopened within hours. On Friday, Sweden announced it has raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks.
There has been speculation that Osama bin Laden could be masterminding the latest plots personally.
Home Secretary Theresa May urged the British public to report any suspicious activity as police and security services try to disrupt terrorist activity.
"The first and most important duty of this government is the protection and security of the British people and visitors to the UK," Mrs May said.
"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism. Our threat level remains at severe - meaning that an attack is highly likely. I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police in support of the efforts of our security services to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."
Kate McCann this weekend has returned to Portugal, where her young daughter Madeleine went missing in May 2007.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said it was one of a number of recent visits she had made to see friends in the country.
The mother-of-three from Rothley in Leicestershire, who is a devout Catholic, was seen praying in the Nossa Senhora da Luz church near where her daughter disappeared.
A small team of private investigators led by Dave Edgar is still looking for Madeleine.
The little girl was three years old when she went missing from her family's holiday flat in Praia da Luz in the Algarve, while her parents dined with friends nearby.
The Commonwealth Games has opened with a spectacular ceremony that heralded 11 days of competitive action at one of the world's biggest sporting events.
After weeks of setbacks that threatened the attraction itself the Indian authorities staged a cultural show of flair, imagination and excitement in Delhi watched by a global audience of millions.
The Prince of Wales joined India's president Pratibha Patil at the opening ceremony that welcomed many of the 6,000 sportsmen and women from across the Commonwealth taking part.
The 'Friendly Games' begin in earnest on Monday and the first day will see double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington battling for one of the eight gold medals up for grabs on the day.
Her appearance is an exception as many notable names in world sport have chosen to either overlook the event or have withdrawn through injury but reigning World 10-metre platform diving champion Tom Daley has made the trip to India.
The Indian authorities have put in place almost unprecedented levels of security for a sporting event, with around 30,000 police deployed at the 41 Games venues reinforced by thousands of troops.
An audience of almost 60,000 had to negotiate stringent airport style checks where bottles of water, food and even mosquito sprays - in a city where insect borne dengue fever has broken out - were confiscated before they were allowed to their seats to watch the ceremony.
The two and a half hour spectacular saw a £5.5 million helium filled airship - said to be world's largest - float above the crowds in the humid night air as iconic images of India's founding father Gandhi, the famous Taj Mahal mausoleum and Buddha were screened on to it as well as other pictures.
During the show five thousand years of India's cultural history were depicted in seven acts that used music, dance, and light to tell the story in the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi. Highlights from the event saw almost a thousand drummers from across the Asian country beat out a deafening rhythm and dazzling puppets from Rajasthan dance for the audience.
The 71 teams taking part ranged from tiny islands to enormous countries, and each paraded into the stadium behind their flag with badminton player Nathan Robertson given the honour of holding the standard of St George for England.
Some 40,000 teenagers will take part in the initial phases of the voluntary National Citizen Service scheme which will form a "rite of passage to adulthood," Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has said.
The first 10,000 places for 16-year-olds will be available on pilot schemes next year with a further 30,000 places in 2012, Mr Maude told the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
The National Citizen Service is a key part of Prime Minister David Cameron's Big Society agenda.
Mr Maude told the conference: "We are often bound together as a nation by experiences that we share. The agony of the World Cup every four years, cheering our athletes to victory at the Olympics, supporting our troops to name just a few.
"The National Citizens Service will be a rite of passage to adulthood for young people - ultimately, we hope, for all of them.
"It will be a common experience for 16-year-olds, mixing people from all backgrounds in a robust programme of outdoor challenge and constructive social action."
He added: "No one expects this to be an overnight transformation. But you have to start somewhere. Over the years and the decades ahead this programme will gradually help to build a bigger, stronger society, more cohesive, citizens with a stronger engagement with their communities, with a deep sense of social responsibility."
Pension companies are taking fees and commissions worth the equivalent of 80% of money paid into some pension plans, according to an investigation.
BBC Panorama found that paying £120,000 into one HSBC pension plan over 40 years would result in £99,900 being taken out.
The Co-op Individual Personal Pension came in at second most expensive, with nearly £96,000 in fees and commissions for the same amount and period. While in third place was Legal and General's Co-funds Portfolio Pension, which would take out £61,000.
The investigation used figures provided to the finance education organisation Consumer Financial Education Body, and figures supplied to the programme by the companies themselves.
HSBC told Panorama that their World Selections Personal Pension offered "good value for money" and was "certainly not one of the most expensive pension schemes in the market." They said that 20% of the £99,900 taken in fees was profit and the pension was popular with customers.
A spokesman for the Co-op said: "The vast majority of our customers' pensions invest in funds with charges lower or equal to the "stakeholder" government-set levels."
Nobody from Legal and General was immediately available for comment.
Dr Paul Woolley, finance academic at the London School of Economics, said: "Fund management fees and brokerage have doubled in the last 10 years, amounting to 1.5% in fees. But the net return to pension funds collectively has reduced. And it's reduced by the amount that fees have gone up by."
Pensions consultant Malcolm McLean warned that an annual charge of 1.5% may not sound high, but the fees grow as the fund gets bigger. He said: "You suddenly find that after 30 or 40 years there's a terrific amount of money lost and I don't think many people actually understood that when perhaps they took out the pension."
Panorama - Who's Taken My Pension? will be broadcast on BBC 1 at 8.30pm.
Students could be forced to pay five times as much for their university education if the cap on fees is lifted, research suggests.
An analysis of fees paid by international students reveals home students are likely to face a massive hike in costs if institutions are allowed to set their own course fees.
It warns that such a move could put poorer students off certain university degree courses, leaving them as the preserve of the rich.
The study, commissioned by the Sutton Trust, examined fees paid by students from outside the EU.
It found that in 2009/10, on average, undergraduate international students paid just under £9,350 for a non-laboratory based course, such as humanities, and £10,900 for a lab-based subject such as science. These fees have risen, on average, by 30% and 40% respectively since 2002/03.
International students attending England's elite universities pay more, with some courses charging more than £20,000 per year. Fees for UK and EU students are capped at £3,290 for this academic year.
It means that fees for international undergraduate students have risen to between three and five times the amount currently paid by home students, with wide variation between institutions and courses.
The report raises concerns that this could be the effect on fees for home students if the cap is lifted.
It says: "Given the patterns for overseas students and postgraduate courses, we would see undergraduate fees or charges rapidly increase, particularly for those universities with the highest academic reputations, and particularly for degree courses with the highest financial returns. There are obvious concerns that such large variations might deter students from less privileged backgrounds from embarking on particular degree courses."
The warning comes just weeks before Lord Browne's review into student funding, which could pave the way for higher fees, is due to be published.
The father of a British soldier killed in Afghanistan has said he was told it was too expensive to issue his son with a handgun.
Jimmy Major was one of five soldiers shot dead by a rogue Afghan policeman in Helmand Province last November.
The troops from the Grenadier Guards and the Royal Military Police had been mentoring a squad of Afghan National Police and had just returned from a morning patrol. Once inside their defended compound, they had put down their main weapons and removed their body armour to relax. One of the Afghan policemen, known as Gulbuddin, then opened fire at close range.
Jimmy's father Adrian said his son and their colleagues had little chance of defending themselves. Mr Major said he was told by an Army representative that it was too expensive to provide all soldiers with pistols.
"Out of 16 only three had small arms. And we were told that they couldn't afford to give them all a side arm. If I'd known I'd have bought him a side arm myself," Mr Major told BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme.
But the Ministry of Defence denied that money was the issue. A spokesman said: "This is absolutely not an issue of cost - not all British troops routinely carry side arms. There are enough side arms in theatre should individuals require them, and they will be carried if individuals are trained to do so and their roles require it."
A former senior UN official has spoken of his concern that the Taliban has infiltrated the Afghan police and army.
Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN's Office of Drugs and Crime in Afghanistan until August, said: "We have plenty of evidence we had a number of suicide attacks carried out by people who had been trusted because they were affiliated to either the army or the police."
But Lieutenant General Nick Parker, Deputy Commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, said the extent of Taliban infiltration had to be put into perspective.
He said: "There have been some very unfortunate incidents but in a force this size it is probably inevitable that that sort of thing will occur on rare occasions. This is something we must watch very carefully. It is not widespread and what we've got to do is continue to partner effectively with security forces out on the front line."
The Government intends to build two branches to the planned new £33 billion high-speed rail network north of Birmingham, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is due to announce.
He will use his keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference to declare that ministers prefer the so-called Y-option over a single S-shaped line crossing the Pennines.
It means that separate lines will provide services between Birmingham and Manchester and between Birmingham and Leeds, the latter cutting through the East Midlands.
They will then link up with the existing west coast and east coast mainlines respectively, cutting journey times between London and both Edinburgh and Glasgow to three and a half hours.
The cost of the network, which will start in London, is estimated at about £33 billion, although more detailed cost analysis is to be undertaken next year, as is a consultation on the plans. The cost includes linking up the new network with Heathrow airport and the existing high-speed rail link between London and the Channel Tunnel. Construction is expected to start in 2015.
Ministers have plumped for the Y-option because it is thought to offer the best return on the investment, estimated to be £2 for every £1 put in.
Mr Hammond will tell the Birmingham conference that his plans would support economic growth and, by offering an alternative to air and car travel, cut carbon emissions.
"That's why we have made a commitment to a high speed rail network that will change the economic and social geography of Britain, connecting our great population centres and our international gateways together, transforming the way Britain works as profoundly as the coming of the original railways did in the mid-19th century," he will say.
"We will consult in the New Year on the strategic roll-out of a high-speed rail network and on our preferred route for the first leg between London and Birmingham. But I can announce that the Government's preferred option for high speed rail north of Birmingham will be for two separate corridors - one direct to Manchester, and then connecting on to the west coast mainline, and the other via the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, with stations in both areas, before connecting to the east coast mainline north of Leeds.
"Delivering on our commitment to high speed rail connectivity between our cities, not just between London to Birmingham, but onwards to Leeds and Manchester, a strategic project that will make rail the mode of choice for most inter-city journeys within the UK, and for many beyond."
Telecoms giant BT is to launch a nationwide survey to establish where the strongest demand is for high-speed broadband services.
The study, the first of its kind, will help the firm identify any "hot spots" for the technology which it said will influence its future investment plans.
BT said it will have brought fibre broadband within reach of four million premises by the end of the year but it will still have more than 12 million further premises to reach as part of its plan to deliver the broadband technology to two-thirds of the UK by 2015.
Gavin Patterson, BT Retail chief executive, said: "We want to hear from towns and villages across the UK to help to influence BT's future deployment plans."
Communications minister Ed Vaizey said: "Whenever I travel around the UK I hear the same message - people want access to superfast broadband in their communities.
"I warmly welcome any initiative that will lead to private sector investment in fibre networks, and applaud the way BT is engaging consumers to ensure that investment reaches the people who want it the most."
Travellers are facing a warning about possible terror attacks after both the UK and US governments issued new alerts.
The Foreign Office warned that there was a "high threat" of attacks in countries including France and Germany, rather than the "general threat" previously identified.
And the US State Department urged Americans to be vigilant when visiting Europe, highlighting the "potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".
The heightened warnings came after British intelligence officials intercepted a credible al Qaida-linked plot last week. The planned attack would reportedly have been similar to the deadly commando-style raids in Mumbai, India, two years ago, with cities in France and Germany also targeted at the same time.
Last Tuesday the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated following a bomb threat called in from a telephone booth - the second such alert at the tower in two weeks. A search by bomb experts found nothing unusual and it was reopened within hours.
There has been speculation that Osama bin Laden could be personally masterminding the latest plots.
The Foreign Office advice now states: "Like other large European countries, the French/German authorities continue to consider that there is a high threat of terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."
Home Secretary Theresa May urged the British public to report any suspicious activity to help police and security services disrupt the terrorists.
"The first and most important duty of this government is the protection and security of the British people and visitors to the UK," she said. "As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism. Our threat level remains at severe - meaning that an attack is highly likely. I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police in support of the efforts of our security services to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."
Mrs May said the UK was working closely with the US on counter-terrorism, and its new guidance was "consistent with our assessment".
One of the four British tourists killed in a light aircraft crash in Peru this weekend was travelling after getting a divorce, it has emerged.
Gayle Callow, 34, Andrew Brown, 30, Alastair Rowe and Warren Denham, in his 30s, were killed when their Cessna plane came down in a field near the centuries-old Nazca Lines markings.
NHS manager Mrs Callow's ex-husband Scott, from Tring in Herts, told the Daily Mail: "Gayle wanted to go travelling. Peru was somewhere she had always wanted to visit. We had been together for 12 years and were married for 10. She said she still loved me - it was just that she wanted to travel."
Fellow victim Mr Brown was said to have been her boss at NHS Berkshire.
The plane is thought to have suffered engine trouble and crashed after taking off from the local Maria Reiche airport at about 11.15pm British time on Saturday.
Local police said the aircraft hit the field as the pilot and co-pilot tried to make an emergency landing. Two Peruvian crew members also died in the crash.
The Nazca Lines, mysterious geoglyphs etched into the desert centuries ago by indigenous groups, are a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Peru's main tourist destinations. About 240 miles south east of the capital Lima, the glyphs are only fully recognisable from the air and 30-minute overflights are popular with travellers.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the British Ambassador to Peru and another member of the consular staff had travelled to the scene of the crash from Lima. "Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance," he said
Several dozen planes in Nazca offer flights over the Lines, but there have been allegations of poor supervision of the aircraft.
In February, a Cessna 206 carrying three Chileans and four Peruvians over the lines crashed and killed everyone on board. Another crash in April 2008 killed five French tourists, though their pilot survived.
