A military cargo plane carrying cash crashed while attempting to land near La Paz, Bolivia’s administrative capital, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens.
The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at El Alto International Airport and plunged onto a busy nearby avenue. Footage released by local media showed wreckage scattered across the road, several cars completely destroyed, and trucks damaged.
After the crash, crowds gathered to collect banknotes scattered across the street, prompting police to use tear gas to control the situation. Authorities later burned the money at the crash site.
The cause of the accident has not yet been determined. Witnesses reported extremely poor weather conditions at the time. Sixty-year-old vendor Cristina Choc told AFP that heavy hail and lightning were occurring during the incident. Debris from the aircraft struck her car. “A tire fell on top of us… my daughter is injured, she has a head wound,” she said.
Colonel Pavel Tovar of the national fire department told reporters that between 15 and 16 fatalities had been counted. “We are recovering the bodies of those who lost their lives in the accident,” he said. The Health Ministry reported that at least 28 people were injured. Deaths were recorded both within the airport premises and on the avenue.
Bolivia’s Air Navigation and Airports Authority (Naabol) stated that the C-130 had departed from the eastern city of Santa Cruz and crashed during landing at El Alto International Airport. Airport operations were suspended following the incident.
The aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, was transporting Bolivian banknotes that were scattered due to the impact. The Defense Ministry clarified that the money being transported did not bear official serial numbers and held no legal or purchasing value. “Its collection, possession, or use constitutes a crime,” the ministry stated.
The La Paz Prosecutor’s Office said some individuals took advantage of the chaos to engage in looting. Prosecutor Luis Carlos Torres confirmed that 12 people had been detained for questioning.
At the time of the crash, Choc and her family remained inside their damaged vehicle out of fear of looting. Hospitals in El Alto have launched blood donation campaigns to treat the injured.
Located at an altitude of 3,650 meters and surrounded by Andean peaks, La Paz is the world’s highest administrative capital. The Defense Ministry has announced that a formal investigation into the crash has begun.
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