At least 20 people were killed and at least 30 injured overnight Friday when a Bolivian Air Force plane carrying bundles of newly printed banknotes from the country’s central bank crashed near the capital, according to local reports.
The Hercules C-130 aircraft went down while attempting to land at El Alto International Airport, near La Paz. The plane had taken off from Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia, where it collected the newly printed bills, and crashed after landing but skidding off the runway onto a nearby road before coming to a stop in an open area, authorities said. At least a dozen vehicles were damaged when the aircraft slid off the runway.
Footage from the crash scene in Bolivia
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Videos circulated on social media showed the wreckage surrounded by large crowds. Some people were seen trying to collect banknotes that had scattered across the ground after the crash, while police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse them.
El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed following the crash, and authorities said an investigation is underway.
Bolivian Air Force General Sergio Laura said two of the six crew members aboard the plane were still unaccounted for.
A senior fire official criticized “hundreds of people” who attempted to gather the scattered cash, saying they delayed rescue efforts for the injured.
According to Bolivian officials, more than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers were deployed to clear the area. Security forces later burned the bundles of banknotes in the presence of Central Bank President David Espinoza, who said the bills had “no legal value” because they had not yet entered circulation, though he did not elaborate. Espinoza did not specify the total amount of money on board but said the new banknotes had originally come from outside the country.
First published: 06:08, 02.28.26