Military plane crash in Bolivia kills at least fifteen

A Bolivian Air Force Hercules C-130 cargo aircraft, registered as FAB-81 and carrying newly printed banknotes crashed on Friday near El Alto, a city adjacent to the country’s capital La Paz. The plane veered off the runway at El Alto International Airport and struck a busy avenue, killing at least 15 people and injuring others, authorities said.

The aircraft had departed from Santa Cruz de la Sierra and was transporting money from the Central Bank of Bolivia when the accident occurred. Images and footage shared on social media showed wreckage and destroyed vehicles along the road, with scattered banknotes on the ground.

Scenes at the crash site turned chaotic as bystanders rushed to pick up the spilled bills, forcing police and military personnel to use tear gas and other measures to disperse the crowd and support rescue operations. Officials later burned boxes of cash, stating the unissued notes had no legal value.

Flights at El Alto’s airport were temporarily suspended while investigators work to determine the cause of the crash, with weather and runway conditions among factors under review.