Banknote transport ends in fiery disaster as investigators probe runway incident and highway devastation.
A military cargo aircraft carrying newly printed Bolivian currency crashed Friday near the capital, killing at least 15 people, injuring others, and damaging numerous vehicles along a highway adjacent to the airport.
Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 aircraft was transporting newly printed banknotes when it landed at El Alto airport, which serves the capital, La Paz. According to officials, the aircraft veered off the runway and ended up in a nearby field, igniting a blaze that firefighters later extinguished.
Fire chief Pavel Tovar confirmed at least 15 fatalities but did not clarify whether the victims were crew members or motorists on the adjacent highway. Authorities reported that approximately 15 vehicles were damaged in the crash. The exact cause of the incident remains under investigation.
Bolivian Air Force General Sergio Lora stated that two of the plane’s six crew members were still unaccounted for late Friday. The aircraft had reportedly departed from Santa Cruz, where it had collected the currency shipment.
Images circulating on social media showed wreckage scattered across the roadway, destroyed vehicles, and banknotes strewn across the crash site. Witnesses were seen attempting to gather the scattered bills before police in riot gear intervened to disperse crowds.
Central Bank President David Espinoza later clarified that the transported banknotes did not yet hold legal tender status because they lacked serial numbers and had not officially entered circulation. He did not specify the total amount of currency on board.
In response to the crash, authorities temporarily suspended all flights to and from El Alto airport as emergency crews secured the area and investigators began examining the runway incident.
