Military Cargo Plane Crash in Bolivia Kills at Least 11

Santa Cruz. At least 11 people have died after a military cargo plane crashed in El Alto, a city in western Bolivia. The Bolivian Air Force's 'C-130 Hercules' aircraft, which was flying from the city of Santa Cruz carrying banknotes to El Alto International Airport, skidded off the runway upon landing and veered onto a nearby highway, resulting in a major accident.

The accident, which occurred at 6:20 PM local time on Friday, involved the plane striking vehicles traveling on the highway. According to eyewitnesses, civilians were injured when a tire from the aircraft detached and hit a moving car. The airport was temporarily closed immediately after the crash, and the highway was also obstructed due to debris and damaged vehicles.

Bolivia's Ministry of Defense confirmed that the aircraft was transporting banknotes for the Central Bank. A crowd of locals gathered to collect the banknotes scattered after the plane crash. However, the ministry issued a stern warning that those notes currently have no purchasing power and collecting or using them would be a legal offense.

Officials have urged the public not to go to the accident site and to cooperate with the investigation. Rescue teams are continuing the work of extracting bodies from the wreckage and transporting the injured to the hospital. A detailed investigation has begun into whether there was any technical problem with the aircraft or if weather caused the accident.

BBC