Gabriel Marquez / EPA
Members of the Bolivian Armed Forces guard the wreckage of the military cargo plane that crashed in El Alto, Bolivia, while transporting money
The aircraft, a Hercules C-13 military cargo plane, was carrying banknotes bound for the Central Bank of Bolivia. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd that tried to get hold of the notes scattered around the impact site.
At least 20 people died and others were injured following the crash of a Bolivian Air Force cargo plane in the western city of The Highthe country’s authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred at 6:15 pm local time this Friday, when the aircraft was approaching El Alto airport from the city of Santa Cruz.
According to civil aviation officials, the device left the road and collided with vehicles that were in the vicinity.
The Bolivian Ministry of Defense later confirmed that it was a Hercules C-130, and that the aircraft carried banknotes bound for the Central Bank of Bolivia. There were eight people on board, according to the Air Force commander.
According to , the police used tear gas to disperse the crowdwho allegedly ran to try to get hold of the notes scattered around the place.
Video footage showed the aircraft on the ground and vehicles with severe damage. In other videos, it was possible to see people running away from tear gas and police officers, some with shields, forming a containment line. Some members of the crowd appear throwing stones.
“While news teams were covering the accident, individuals who were trying to steal the money transported attacked the press with unusual violencer”, said the National Association of Journalists of Bolivia, in a statement.
The association said a mobile television unit was “directly targeted”, while other journalists “were attacked with stonessuffering serious injuries while carrying out their duties”.
The state-owned Bolivian News Agency reported that at least a dozen people were arrested for stealing bank notes.
“I want to make it clear who is trying to take the money of the plane, which This money has no legal valuesince it was not issued by the Central Bank and does not have a serial number, and trying to use this money constitutes a crime”, declared the Minister of Defense, Marcelo Salinas.
“We also ask everyone who is carrying out acts of vandalism in this area to stop immediately and to respect grief and pain that we are living in this very difficult time”, added the minister.
The commander of the Bolivian Air Force, Sergio Loraconfirmed that eight crew members were on board, “including cargo staff and flight crew”. The Bolivian Ministry of Health indicated that 31 people were injured in the incident, having also launched an urgent appeal for blood donation.
“My sister told me she was in the car when the plane crashed,” a man reported to the news agency. “The plane’s tire fell on the carand my sister was injured because the impact of the tire hit her in the head, so we rushed her to the hospital.”
As causes of the accident are not yet knownbut some witnesses reported that the weather conditions were adverse at the time of the occurrence. “There was a strong hailstorm” and “there was lightning” when the plane crashed, a woman whose car was hit by the aircraft’s wreckage told France-Presse.
El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed following the accident. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
