A cargo plane carrying money crashed on a highway near Bolivia’s capital on Friday, scattering banknotes across the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and 30 injured, officials said.
Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not clarify if the fatalities were from the aircraft or the dozen vehicles struck on the road near La Paz’s airport.
The plane reportedly hit cars in El Alto, adjacent to La Paz, before coming to rest in a field, as shown in social media images.
Reports conflicted on whether the aircraft was taking off or landing when it crashed.
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 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.
El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed after the crash, Boliviana de Aviacion said, noting that the aircraft involved was not part of its fleet.
