At least 15 dead after military plane carrying new banknotes plunges out of control in Bolivia

A Bolivian Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo plane carrying a shipment of new banknotes crashed in the city of E1 Alto. The disaster resulted in significant casualties and chaotic scenes as observers attempted to collect the scattered currency. The incident happened at 18:15 local time on Friday as the plane was arriving at E1 Alto’s airport from the city of Santa Cruz, according to aviation officials.

Regarding the gravity of the situation, the Defense Ministry later confirmed its C-130 Hercules was involved and that it had been transporting banknotes to the Central Bank of Bolivia. The total number of people on board has not yet been confirmed, authorities have reported a significant number of casualties at the scene.

In this connection, the Minister of Defense, Marcelo Salinas said: “I want to make it clear to those who are trying to make 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.”

He also clarified that anyone engaging in acts of vandalism in this area should refrain from doing so and instead respect the mourning and grief we are experiencing at this difficult time.

According to local media, firefighters working at the crash site said that at least 20 people were injured.

Fire chief Pavel Tover said at least 15 people died, but he did not clarify if the dead were in the plane or in the cars that were damaged on the adjacent freeway

As reported by the Guardian, the Bolivian Air Navigation and Airports authority (NAABOL) stated that the C-130 departed from the eastern city of Santa Cruz and crashed while landing at the international airport, which subsequently suspended operations. According to some witnesses, the crash did not happen immediately upon approach; the statement also confirmed the weather conditions at the time were treacherous.

Bolivian Air Force Gen.Sergio Lora further confirmed that two of the plane’s six crew members had not been found as of late Friday, adding that the aircraft had picked up its cargo in Santa Cruz. Meanwhile, in neighboring Peru, the government declared a state of emergency for nearly half of its districts amid intense rainfall, landslides, and flooding that have badly affected the southern part of the country.