A tragic incident unfolded near La Paz on Friday when a Bolivian military cargo plane carrying millions of Boliviano banknotes crashed during landing attempts at El Alto International Airport. The aircraft veered off the runway, slamming into an avenue with significant vehicular destruction and leaving multiple vehicles mangled.
Local media footage revealed the aftermath: debris from the C-130 Hercules transport plane was strewn across the roadway as it collided with passing cars and trucks. At least 15 people perished in the accident; local authorities confirmed these fatalities, though official numbers are yet to be released. Colonel Pavel Tovar of the National Fire Department stated that recovery efforts were underway to locate and identify the bodies of the deceased.
The crash left a trail of destruction along the crowded avenue where the plane struck several vehicles and injured at least two dozen others. Authorities from the Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident but did not provide additional information on what precipitated the accident. The Bolivian Air Navigation and Airports authority (NAABOL) issued a statement indicating that the C-130 departed from Santa Cruz, crashing while trying to land at the international airport which temporarily halted operations.
The crash occurred amid a backdrop of La Paz’s unique setting—a high-altitude capital city nestled among Andean peaks at 3,650 meters (11,975 feet) elevation. The scene was chaotic as police employed tear gas to disperse onlookers who gathered around the wreckage and risked contamination by picking up scattered cash.
The incident highlights the precarious nature of air travel in La Paz and underscores the risks associated with transporting valuable assets via cargo planes at such high altitudes.