At Least 22 Dead After Bolivian Military Plane Carrying Banknotes Crashes In El Alto

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

EL ALTO, BOLIVIA (Worthy News) – A tense calm has returned to Bolivia’s western city of El Alto after riot police pushed back crowds trying to reach an airplane carrying banknotes that crashed late Friday, killing at least 22 people.

Authorities said the Bolivian Air Force cargo plane went down at about 18:15 local time as it was arriving at El Alto International Airport from the eastern city of Santa Cruz. Aviation officials said the aircraft reportedly skidded off the runway and struck nearby vehicles.

Bolivia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that the aircraft involved was a C-130 Hercules transport plane that had been carrying newly printed banknotes to the Central Bank of Bolivia.

Air Force commander Sergio Lora said eight crew members were on board, including cargo personnel and flight crew.

Firefighters initially reported at least 15 fatalities, but officials later revised the death toll upward to at least 22. Bolivia’s Health Ministry said 31 people were injured and issued an urgent appeal for blood donations.

CHAOTIC SCENES AND LOOTING

Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds that gathered at the crash site after banknotes were seen scattered across the area.

Video footage showed the damaged aircraft on the ground and heavily wrecked vehicles nearby, while other recordings captured people running from tear gas as officers in riot gear formed defensive lines. Some individuals were seen throwing rocks.

The government-run Bolivian News Agency reported that at least a dozen people were arrested for allegedly attempting to steal banknotes.

The National Association of Journalists of Bolivia said reporters covering the crash were attacked.

In a statement, it said a mobile television unit was “directly targeted,” while other journalists “were attacked with stones, suffering serious injuries while carrying out their work.”

GOVERNMENT WARNING ON BANKNOTES

Defence Minister Marcelo Salinas warned that the transported money had no legal value.

“I want to make it clear to those who are trying to take money from the plane involved in this tragedy that this money has no legal value since it has not been issued by the Central Bank and does not have a serial number, and that attempting to use this money is a crime,” Salinas said.

He urged the public to refrain from vandalism and to respect the mourning period following the disaster.

El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed after the crash.

A witness said his sister was injured when part of the aircraft struck her car. “The plane’s tire fell on the car, and my sister was injured because the impact hit her on the head, so we rushed her to the hospital,” he said.

WEATHER AND INVESTIGATION

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Some witnesses described severe weather conditions at the time of the landing attempt.

“A heavy hailstorm” was falling, and “there was lightning” when the aircraft went down, a woman whose vehicle was struck by debris told reporters.

Authorities said an official investigation into the crash is under way. The rush on the money transporting plane did not come as a surprise: Bolivia is classified as a “lower-middle-income country” by the World Bank.

Experts say it remains one of the poorer countries in South America.

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