A military aircraft transporting banknotes crashed in Bolivia, leaving at least 15 people dead
Authorities in Bolivia report that at least 15 people lost their lives and several others were injured when a Bolivian Air Force cargo aircraft crashed in the western city of El Alto.
Aviation officials said the incident occurred at 18:15 local time (22:15 GMT) on Friday when the plane was arriving at El Alto Airport from the city of Santa Cruz. It reportedly skidded off the runway and collided with nearby vehicles.
The Ministry of Defense later confirmed that its C-130 Hercules was involved, carrying banknotes to the Central Bank of Bolivia. It did not specify how many people were on board the plane, nor did it provide any casualties.
Police reportedly fired tear gas to disperse a crowd trying to collect scattered banknotes.
Video footage showed the plane on the ground and vehicles badly damaged. Other videos showed people fleeing from tear gas and police officers, some carrying shields, forming a line. Some in the crowd were seen throwing stones.
“While the news team was covering the accident, the press was brutally attacked by people trying to steal the money being transported,” Bolivia’s National Association of Journalists said in a statement. It said a mobile TV unit was “directly targeted,” while other journalists were “attacked with stones, causing serious injuries while carrying out their work.”
The official Bolivian news agency reported that at least a dozen people were arrested for stealing banknotes.
Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said, “I want to make it clear to those who are trying to withdraw money from the plane involved in the accident that this money has no legal value because it was not issued by the Central Bank and does not have a serial number, and trying to use this money is a crime.”
“We also ask all those who are vandalizing the area to refrain from doing so and to respect the grief and suffering we are feeling during this difficult time.”
Bolivia’s Health Ministry said 31 people were injured. It also issued an urgent appeal for blood donations.
El Alto International Airport was closed for some time after the crash.
A man told Reuters news agency, “My sister told me she was in the car when the plane crashed. The plane’s tire hit the car, and my sister was injured by the tire, so we immediately took her to the hospital.” It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash, but some witnesses said the weather was very bad at the time.
The woman whose car collided with the aircraft debris told AFP news agency, “When the plane went down, there was heavy hail and lightning.” The incident is under investigation.
