A catastrophic aviation disaster struck Bolivia on Friday when a military cargo aircraft laden with currency notes crashed during its landing approach near La Paz’s El Alto International Airport. The tragic incident resulted in at least 15 fatalities and 28 injuries, according to official reports from defense authorities.
The ill-fated C-130 Hercules transport plane, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, had originated from Santa Cruz in eastern Bolivia. During its final descent amidst severe weather conditions characterized by heavy hailstorms and lightning, the aircraft veered off the runway and collided with a major thoroughfare, impacting multiple vehicles and causing significant structural damage.
Emergency response teams, including National Fire Department personnel led by Colonel Pavel Tovar, immediately deployed to the crash site. The complex recovery operation involved extracting victims from the wreckage while contending with chaotic scenes as bystanders attempted to gather scattered banknotes from the destroyed aircraft.
The Bolivian Defense Ministry issued a critical clarification regarding the currency, stating the banknotes lacked official serial numbers and therefore held no legal tender status. Authorities emphasized that collecting or possessing these notes constituted a criminal offense. Security forces employed tear gas to disperse individuals attempting to loot the crash site, resulting in twelve arrests for questioning related to theft and public disorder.
Local vendor Cristina Choque, whose vehicle was struck by debris, described the terrifying moments following impact. ‘The tire is what fell on top of us… my daughter is injured, she has a head wound,’ she recounted, adding that her family remained trapped in their damaged car fearing further violence from the crowds.
In response to the tragedy, El Alto International Airport suspended all operations indefinitely while hospitals initiated emergency blood donation campaigns to treat the injured. The Defense Ministry has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident, with witness accounts pointing to treacherous weather conditions as a likely contributing factor.