A Bolivian military cargo plane carrying banknotes skidded off a runway near La Paz on Friday and crashed into a busy avenue in the neighboring city of El Alto, officials said. Authorities reported 15 people dead and at least 30 others injured.
Fire Chief Pavel Tovar did not say whether the fatalities were people aboard the aircraft or occupants of vehicles on the highway that runs beside the capital. Video and local media footage showed the C-130 Hercules veering off the runway, colliding with roughly a dozen vehicles on a crowded road and coming to rest in a field. Banknotes carried on the plane were strewn across the scene.
Images and video also showed residents rushing to gather the scattered money while police in riot gear worked to disperse crowds. Firefighters extinguished fires at the crash site. The Defense Ministry confirmed the accident but has released few details.
Bolivia’s air navigation and airports authority, NAABOL, said the aircraft had departed from Santa Cruz. Early accounts conflicted over whether the accident occurred during takeoff or landing. Bolivia’s central bank was scheduled to brief reporters later Friday.