A Bolivian military cargo plane crashed near La Paz on Friday, leaving officials to recover remains and transport the injured to clinics in El Alto, where the airport is located, after the aircraft’s cargo included newly printed banknotes that spilled at the crash site. On Saturday, the death toll rose further as investigators continued work at the wreckage, and police said vehicles were damaged along the road during the incident.
Police said the crash killed 22 people, including 12 men, six women and four children, with one crew member among the dead, according to police commander Mirko Sokol. Sokol also said 29 people were injured, most of them passengers traveling on public transportation when the plane came down near the capital. Forensic investigators were still recovering remains Saturday, and the injured were taken to clinics in El Alto, near La Paz.
Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said the plane was a Hercules C-130 belonging to the Bolivian Air Force and was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency from Santa Cruz, in Bolivia’s east, to La Paz. Salinas said the plane “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out flames that engulfed the aircraft.
Officials said video and images shared on social media showed debris from the aircraft, destroyed cars, and bodies scattered on the road. Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 vehicles were damaged. Tovar’s estimate aligned with police reports that the crash struck the area near the airport and affected traffic on the ground.
Salinas and other officials also described a security response after the crash as people rushed to gather bills that had fallen from the aircraft. The plane was carrying money to La Paz, and official reports said more than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers worked to disperse crowds to reduce the risk of looting.
Central Bank President David Espinoza told reporters that efforts were made to prevent cash from being taken from the wreckage. He said the bills “have no legal value because they never entered circulation,” while discussing why people should not treat the spilled banknotes as valid currency. Espinoza did not specify the amount of money being transported, but he said the banknotes had arrived in Santa Cruz from abroad, according to the AP report.
Forensic work continued as officials assessed the damage and investigators recovered remains from the wreckage. The cause of the crash was not detailed in the report, but the sequence described by Salinas—landing, then veering off the runway at El Alto airport—set the immediate focus for authorities while public attention turned to safety and the handling of the currency shipment.