Horror as plane full of money crashes – at least 20 killed | World | News

Authorities in the country say that at least twenty people died and dozens were injured when a plane crashed in Bolivia. The Bolivian air force cargo plane was carrying money and banknotes were scattered on the ground when it crashed on Friday.

Defense Minister Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 was carrying newly minted Bolivian currency to the country’s central bank when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, near the capital La Paz. The plane stopped in a nearby field. It reportedly damaged nearly a dozen vehicles on a nearby road after going off the track.

Fire crews managed to extinguish the flames surrounding the plane.

The fire chief had previously announced that at least 15 people had died, but it was not clear whether the dead were on the plane or in vehicles on the nearby highway.

According to the air force commander, there were eight people on board.

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Images on social media show the wreckage of the plane, destroyed cars and bodies strewn on the road.

In addition, in the images shared on the internet, it is claimed that while people are running to collect the banknotes scattered at the scene of the accident, the police in riot gear are trying to distribute the banknotes.

Fire chief Pavel Tovar said hundreds of people trying to collect the spilled money were hindering rescue efforts.

According to official reports, more than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers took control of the area to disperse the crowd.

At least a dozen people were arrested for stealing banknotes, the government-run Bolivian News Agency reported.

Mr. Salinas said: “I would like to make it clear to those who are trying to get money from the plane involved in this tragedy that this money has no legal value because it was not given by the Central Bank and does not have a serial number, and it is a crime to attempt to use this money.

“We also ask anyone who engages in acts of vandalism in this area to refrain from doing so and to respect our grief and sorrow at this difficult time.”

Police and military personnel burned the money boxes in the presence of Federal Reserve Governor David Espinoza, who said the banknotes “have no legal value because they have never been put into circulation.”

Mr. Espinoza did not specify how much money was transferred but confirmed that the notes came to Santa Cruz from abroad.

The plane, which took off from the city of Santa Cruz, crashed at around 18.15 local time on Friday evening.

according to BBCThe Bolivian Ministry of Health announced that 31 people were injured in the incident. An urgent call for blood donations was also made.

Following the accident, El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed.

The investigation into the incident continues.