A Bolivian Air Force Hercules aircraft crashed onto a busy avenue in the city of El Alto near Bolivia’s capital La Paz on Friday evening amid inclement weather, according to local television reports.
Video broadcast on local media showed the military aircraft severely damaged on the roadway, with a number of vehicles along the avenue also sustaining heavy damage, Reuters reported.
Authorities had not yet officially confirmed casualties. However, some media reports indicated that several people were killed and injured.
Local station Unitel, citing Bolivia’s Ministry of Defense, reported that the aircraft had been transporting newly printed banknotes to the interior of the country at the time of the accident.
Social media footage circulating online showed chaotic scenes at the crash site, with people gathering around the wreckage and appearing to collect currency scattered on the ground. Local authorities at the scene were seen using water hoses to disperse crowds. Reuters could not independently verify the images. Bolivia’s central bank was expected to brief reporters later in the evening.
Following the crash, El Alto International Airport was temporarily closed. Bolivia’s national airline, Boliviana de Aviación, said in a statement that the aircraft involved in the accident did not belong to its fleet.
With inputs from Reuters
