At least 15 killed after military plane carrying cash crashes in Bolivia

At least 15 people were killed on February 27 when a Bolivian military cargo plane transporting banknotes crashed while attempting to land near the capital, La Paz, authorities said.

The aircraft, identified as a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport before crashing into a nearby avenue. Video footage broadcast by local media showed the plane striking multiple vehicles, destroying cars and damaging trucks as it came down, Caliber.Az writes per foreign media.

Twisted debris from the aircraft was scattered across the roadway as bystanders rushed toward the wreckage to collect banknotes that had spilled onto the street. Police deployed tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds gathering at the scene. Authorities later set the scattered cash on fire in a bonfire at the crash site, stating that the banknotes had not yet been registered and were therefore not legal tender.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but witnesses described severe weather conditions at the time of the incident.

"A heavy hailstorm" was falling and "there was lightning" when the plane went down, Cristina Choque, a 60-year-old vendor whose car was struck by the aircraft wreckage, told AFP. "The tire is what fell on top of us... my daughter is injured, she has a head wound," she added.

Colonel Pavel Tovar of the National Fire Department said that "between 15 and 16 [dead] people have been counted" in the disaster.

"We are recovering the bodies of these people who have sadly suffered in the accident," he said.

Bolivia’s health ministry reported that at least 28 people were injured.

“There were eight crew members on board. Seven were rescued and taken to hospital. One is missing,” a fire service representative said on Bolivia TV. Earlier reports had suggested that all crew members had died.

The Ministry of Defence said it would launch an investigation into the crash.

By Sabina Mammadli