A cargo plane carrying money crashed near Bolivia’s capital yesterday, leaving 15 people dead. Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not clarify if the dead were in the plane or in the cars on the highway near the airport in La Paz. He said there were people injured.
The aircraft struck vehicles in the city of El Alto, which is adjacent to La Paz, before coming to rest in a field. Debris from the aircraft, destroyed cars, and bodies littered the road. According to Tovar, at least 15 vehicles were involved. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames engulfing the aircraft.
The plane, a Hercules aircraft belonging to the Bolivian air force, was transporting new banknotes from the Central Bank to other cities and a large number of bills were scattered on the ground at the crash site. Images circulating on social media showed people rushing to collect the bills while police in riot gear tried to disperse them. Authorities temporarily suspended all flights to and from the terminal.
