Two people have been killed in a failed attempt to steal more than $32m (£27m) in cash from a plane at an airport in Chile.
The heist saw around 10 heavily armed robbers beat security measures to reach the runway at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in the country’s capital Santiago, where $32.5 million in cash was being transferred from an aircraft to an armoured truck, said interior sub-secretary Manuel Monsalve.
A shootout followed between the would-be robbers and security officials, resulting in the deaths of a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) employee and an alleged assailant.
The other robbers fled, with two burnt vehicles later found nearby.
Mr Monsalve described the group as “highly organised” and “very armed”.
“The brave action by the DGAC officials frustrated the robbery,” he said.
Video posted on social media appeared to show bullet holes in a Delta plane that had been parked next to the Latam aircraft from Miami, which was targeted in the robbery attempt.
Another video appears to show a moment in the shootout during which many gunshots can be heard.
DGAC chief Raul Jorquera said there was “no risk to passengers”.
The $32.5 million targeted in the heist was set to be transferred to an armoured truck, before being distributed to banks in the South American country.
Mr Jorquera said the attempted robbery “will undoubtedly lead us to revise processes, protocols that must be improved”, adding: “It forces us to rethink many things.”
It was not the first time the airport in Chile’s capital has been targeted.
In 2020, thieves stole some $15 million from a warehouse in the airport, six years after a similar $10 million heist.
President Gabriel Boric bemoaned the latest heist during a speech on Wednesday in which he said that “when there’s insecurity, everything else wobbles”.
An increase in violent crime in Chile has contributed to a recent decline in Mr Boric’s approval ratings, according to polls.
