At least 20 people were killed when a Bolivian military cargo plane transporting banknotes crashed while landing near the capital, La Paz, police said on Friday.
The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules transport plane manufactured by Lockheed Martin, veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport before crashing into a busy avenue, destroying several vehicles and damaging trucks.
Footage from the scene showed mangled parts of the aircraft scattered across the road, while bystanders rushed to grab banknotes strewn around the crash site. Police were forced to deploy tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Authorities were later seen setting the recovered cash ablaze in a bonfire at the scene.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but witnesses cited severe weather conditions at the time of the incident.
“A heavy hailstorm” was falling and “there was lightning” when the plane went down, said Cristina Choque, a 60-year-old vendor whose car was struck by aircraft debris.
Choque, speaking with AFP, said, “The tyre is what fell on top of us… my daughter is injured, she has a head wound.”
The head of the police homicide division in El Alto, Colonel Rene Tambo, told reporters late Friday that “there are about 20, maybe a few more” casualties.
Earlier, Colonel Pavel Tovar of the National Fire Department had put the death toll at “between 15 and 16 people.”
“We are recovering the bodies of these people who have sadly suffered in the accident,” he said.
Bolivia’s health ministry confirmed that at least 28 people were injured in the disaster.
Fatalities were recorded both at the airport and along the busy avenue where the aircraft crashed into multiple vehicles.
The Bolivian Air Navigation and Airports Authority (NAABOL) said the C-130 Hercules had departed from Santa Cruz and crashed while landing at El Alto International Airport, which has since suspended operations.
In a statement, the Defence Ministry said it would launch a full investigation into the crash.
It also warned that the money being transported had no official serial numbers and therefore “has no legal or purchasing power.”
“ Its collection, possession, or use constitutes a crime,” the ministry stated.
The La Paz Prosecutor’s Office said reports had been received of businesses targeted by criminals exploiting the chaos.
“Twelve people have been arrested” for questioning, prosecutor Luis Carlos Torres said.
Hospitals in El Alto launched a blood donation campaign to treat the injured.
La Paz, situated at an altitude of about 3,650 metres above sea level and surrounded by Andean peaks, is the world’s highest administrative capital.
-NaijaNews
